Agosto 08 NKOTB

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com USA BOSTONHEARLD 07. 31.2008

http://www.bostonherald.com

WE HEAR: KATIE ska, Mrs. Tom Cruise) and Woody Harrelson, has checked into the Millennium Bostonian Hotel to meet with producers at Moody Independent and to scout locations on the North Shore. The film is set to start filming in and around Boston this fall.

That the new New Kids On The Block album called “The Block” will drop Sept. 2. The next single off the album following the very successful “Summertime” is going to feature r & b star Ne-Yo. It’s titled “Single,” according to Perezhilton.com. The album also features guest appearances from the Pussycat Dolls and Lady Gaga.

That Hollywood spaceshot Gary Busey is featured in a funny viral ad for Boston-based GotVMail Communications. In it, Gary raps about his wacko scheme to dye grizzly bears and black bears white so they can be protected like polar bears. The kicker is “Business Ideas By Gary Busey.” Um . . . .

nkotbthing.com

08

01-07

08

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08. 01.2008

http://www.nkotb.com

DONNIE TALKS MUSIC HEY ALL….

WHAT’S GOOD?!?!?!

I WANNA TALK MUSIC FOR A SECOND… SUMMERTIME WAS A SPECIAL SONG FROM US TO YOU…. THANK YOU FOR EMBRACING IT WITH SUCH LOVE. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US. THAT SAID….

SUMMERTIME WAS ONLY AN INVITATION… AN INVITATION TO ALL OF YOU… AN INVITATION TO THE PARTY… THE PARTY THAT STARTS NOW!!!!

OUR NEW “SINGLE” FEATURING NE-YO IS COMING TO RADIO AS YOU READ THIS! IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD IT…. WATCH OUT!!!!

IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD IT… FIND IT!!!

TURN YOUR RADIOS ON!!!!

GET ON THE WEB!!!!

IT’S TIME TO RAISE THE BAR. AND GUESS WHAT….

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINING!!!

OUR ALBUM IS DONE! COMPLETE!!!

READY FOR ALL OF YOUR EARS!!!!

WE ARE SO PROUD OF IT! WE WANT TO MAKE YOU ALL PROUD TOO!!!

I HOPE YOU ARE READY FOR IT….

I HOPE THE WORLD IS READY FOR IT… SEPTEMBER 2ND IT IS ON!!!!!

MUCH LOVE AS ALWAYSDONNIE W PS- NO MAJ OR MADONNA DUETS…. SORRY. HOWEVER… I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL AGREE THAT NE-YO, AKON, NEW EDITION, PUSSY CAT DOLLS, POLOW DA DON, AND LADY GAGA (WHO KILLED ON SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE LAST NIGHT) WILL BE MORE THAN ADEQUATE!!!!

HA!!!!!! HA!!!!!!

GET READY!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU ALL….

WE ARE GONNA PARTY LIKE NEVER BEFORE! LOVE YA!!!!!

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.01.2008

http://www.nkotb.com

nkotbthing.com USA I LOVE ALL ACCESS 08.01.2008

EMAIL

HURRY! ONLY A FEW VIP PACKAGES LEFT FOR THE REUNION TOUR OF THE YEAR! New Kids On The Block are back! Enjoy guaranteed great seats, preshow parties, exclusive gifts, meet and greets, photo ops, and more!

nkotbthing.com USA PEOPLE.COM 08. 01.2008

http://www.people.com

PEOPLE EXCLUSIVE

FIRST LOOK: NKOTB'S COVER ART REVEALED! The New Kids on the Block are preparing to release their new album, and PEOPLE.com has an exclusive first look at the cover.

The band will release The Block on Sept. 2 – and the guys have previewed two singles from the disc. The first, "Summertime," debuted in June – the perfect synth-pop, summer anthem.

Earlier this week, the NKOTB unveiled their second single, appropriately called "Single," which features guest vocals by Ne-Yo. Also on the CD: guest spots from New Edition (they collaborate on "Full Service") and the Pussycat Dolls, who appear on "Grown Man." – Brian Orloff

nkotbthing.com USA BOSTON MAGAZINE 08.01.2008

http://www.bostonmagazine.com

NKOTB 4-EVA! A decade and a half after they rocked stages with their high- pitched bubblegum pop, the New Kids on the Block are back. So, too, are the band's shrieking fans, besotted as ever— but this time, with memories of their days before diapers and minivans.

BY JOHN GONZALEZ

The New Kids on the Block were cuter than all the boys in my school, and their names graced the cover of every one of my school binders.

That's how I knew which subject the binder was for...Danny for English, Jon for History, Jordan for French, Donnie for Science, and Joey for Math (my favorite subject, therefore my favorite New Kid!).

People spend thousands of dollars trying to look and feel younger, searching for the ever-elusive fountain of youth. What if I told you, you could relive those days? That is what all this is about. Reliving the glory days.

—Genevieve Comolli, Ontario, Canada Sarah Gelinas and Crystal Gagnon drove down from New Hampshire this morning, arriving here at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield before the gates ad even opened. It's 10 a.m., and the New Kids on the Block—NKOTB to Gelinas, Gagnon, and millions of other loyal fans—won't take the stage until at least 8 p.m. It was only two days ago that NKOTB appeared on the Today show, marking the first time they'd performed together in nearly a decade and a half. Because the New Kids had never been the most talented group, and are no longer kids, the critics have been panning this reunion, joking about the difficulty of skipping down memory lane after hip-replacement surgery. Even so, it didn't take long for NKOTB to sell out shows in Toronto, Chicago, and Atlantic City. Tickets for the big September shows at the Garden, meanwhile, are all but gone. And when I wrote on this magazine's website that I was looking for fans to explain the hysteria to me, the response was overwhelming. I received e-mails from "Blockheads" (their term) across the country, and as far away as Italy, Brazil, and Scotland.

What I heard from my new pen pals was the same kind of passion that Gagnon, 27, and Gelinas, 29, feel to this day. The two met when they were preteens. They were both in the Rainbow Girls (like the Girl Scouts, only without the cookies and with a lot more Jesus) and bonded over a love of the New Kids. Both of them had rat-tails—just as Jordan did at the time. Gagnon's mother tolerated the look, but used it as a form of parental control. The deal, Gagnon says, "was I had to be good in school, and I had to get good grades and behave, and I could have it. As soon as I slacked off from that, she was gonna cut it."

The two friends spent a lot of time back then talking on the phone about the New Kids, and what kind of memorabilia they each had.

Gelinas has kept most of hers through the years—curtains and life-size posters and the Christmas album that she still listens to every December. Having to pack all of that away when NKOTB broke up was tough. "I was like, ‘Oh, crap, what am I going to do?'" she recalls.

Middle school, Gagnon tells me, "is a confusing time for anybody.… You don't really know who you are. Music, for a lot of people, it defines who you are. If you're into the punk bands, you're a punk kid. Boy bands, you're the happy-go-lucky preppy person." NKOTB's decision to stop being NKOTB, Gagnon says, left her "kind of lost."

Today, the women talk on the phone as much as they did back when the New Kids were at the center of their lives. Gelinas is a veterinary technician and engaged to be married. Gagnon teaches in an after-school program and is married with two kids. On the morning NKOTB appeared on the Today show, Gagnon called her daughter's school to let the teachers know that the five-year-old would be late for class.

Gagnon didn't want to miss the performance. "It's like a whole lifestyle again," she says. "They take over."

Which is why she and Gelinas were happy to pay $125 each for $50 tickets to tonight's Kiss 108 concert. Before the New Kids actually take the stage, though, the pair have to endure a number of warm-up acts, among them the Jonas Brothers, who are apparently the New Kids for the aughts. One of the brothers is supposedly dating Miley Cyrus, who doubles as Hannah Montana. All of this is related to me by a teenager who speaks very fast. When I apologize for my lack of Jonas Brothers knowledge, she simply eyes me the way archaeologists examine antiquities.

nkotbthing.com Alas, there comes a time when what's hip and fresh and now has passed us by. You can try to fight it—maybe camouflage yourself in skinny jeans and midriff-baring shirts—or you can just stick with who you are. Gelinas and Gagnon have chosen the latter. As I tell them I'm writing a story about the New Kids, Gelinas begins doing an excited jig—sort of a cross between jumping rope and Chubby Checker's twist—while repeating, "Show him, show him, show him!" Gagnon, desperately trying to show me, roots around in her purse for a while before coming up with...a sort-of-ratty white washcloth that has "New Kids on the Block" written in faded blue letters. Gelinas had found it with the rest of the NKOTB stuff she'd kept packed away in boxes at her stepmother's house.

As the intro acts drone on at the Tweeter Center, it begins to rain, leaving the two women soaked. When NKOTB finally come on, it's after 8:30, and Gelinas and Gagnon are chilly in their damp clothes. Not that they care. They're on their feet, hooting and hollering, yelling themselves hoarse. Gagnon begins to cry and can't stop. ("She was bawling," Gelinas will say later, with a laugh.)

Toward the end, Gelinas hands her the washcloth so she can dry her eyes.

My life was enveloped with everything NKOTB from 1988 to 1993, when I met my now-exhusband (who is from Dorchester). The marriage fell apart, and by the time I came to my senses, NKOTB had broken up. I was heartbroken but moved on.

Now I am 35, a college graduate, divorced, [and] have a great job. On January 28, 2008, I got some news that I never expected. I wasn't able to go to their reunion announcement on April 4, but I did fly to NYC and slept on the street for 17 hours to attend their FIRST concert together in 14 years. It was amazing. That day I turned 15 again.

—Robin Sackevich, Michigan The New Kids reunion has created a groundswell of speculation about how the whole thing will inspire a new generation of boy bands. (And maybe the reassembly of some other old-timers— the Funky Bunch are making noises about elbowing in on NKOTB's action, with or without Donnie's brother Mark Wahlberg in the role of Marky Mark.) But that implies that NKOTB were somehow pioneers, not imitators themselves. In truth, the only thing new about the Kids, even the first time around, was their name.

The band simply followed the time-tested recipe used by the people who had put together groups like Menudo before them, and 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys thereafter: Mix a bad boy (in this case, Donnie) with a good boy (Jordan), a young heartthrob (Joey), and a few spares (the other two); sprinkle in some onstage gyrations; season with a little pandering (We love you, Seattle/Cleveland/Duluth!); and serve with a healthy portion of merchandise. Instant success.

NKOTB, as anyone with a lapsed Tiger Beat subscription knows, isn't even the first successful Boston boy band. The group's original manager, Maurice Starr, was the guy who gave us New Edition, a crew of good-looking black kids that included Bobby Brown. When Starr had a falling-out with New Edition in 1984, he took the logical next step and started a band of good-looking white kids.

NKOTB quickly became an international sensation, but nowhere was the mania greater, as Melissa Bible can attest, than right here in their home state. As soon as Bible and her friends in Leominster were old enough to drive, they piled into an old Plymouth convertible and sped off for Boston. This was around 1992, after the NKOTB craze had already peaked. The girls were on a mission to find the New Kids. Actually, to find their houses. To someone else, this quest might have seemed creepy; to Bible, it was just something fans did. And as it turned out, when she and her friends somehow found Danny's house in Dorchester, there were already other Blockheads camped outside. Soon, Bible's crew had directions to Donnie's pad in Braintree and the Knights' castle in Dorchester. They never did find Joey's place. (Bible, now a 33-year-old social worker, says that Jonathan has always been her favorite New Kid. "Our personalities are similar," she explains. "We're both kind of a little more introverted in big groups. But on a one-to-one connection, we get along with people, and we're extroverted." She and a friend have purchased $175 floor tickets for one of next month's shows at the Garden—well worth the price, she insists.)

The Kids were as much a part of the '80s and early '90s as Nintendo and parachute pants. And for a certain type of woman who's in her late twenties to mid-thirties, well into a career that may or may not be what she'd dreamed, maybe married or maybe with a divorce or other emotional rockiness behind her, they remain synonymous with first crushes, high school dances, and limitless choices. So yes, among those fans like Bible and her friends, the NKOTB reunion has been greeted with genuine affection.

But it's also true that reunions in general have become merely another inevitable stage in any band's life cycle. "Grand Funk Railroad is still out there, for God's sake," says Don Gorder, chair of Berklee's music business/management department. "People resonate throughout their lives with the music of their youth, and that market continues to be there." It's why Viagra uses Elvis Presley to peddle ED meds and Cadillac copped a Led Zeppelin song—that music was the, ahem, soundtrack of the target demo's youth.

Picking the right time to get the group back together is an important decision. You may not remember the first one, but this is actually the New Kids' second comeback. In 1994, two years into what would become a much longer hiatus, they launched an aptly named "Face the Music" tour. In so doing, they were forced to acknowledge that the halls they played were nearly empty, and that they were through. The trouble back then was that the New Kids weren't marketing themselves as a nostalgia act—they were trying to continue being hip…but they no longer were, and their fans, once obsessed with such things, had moved on. Now, though, their old crowd isn't concerned with being cool—they just want to remember when they were. Which explains how the Kids, a failure in their first comeback, will sell out the Garden this time around.

nkotbthing.com This development makes perfect sense to Bentley College marketing professor Perry Lowe, who places the latest reemergence of the New Kids, and the reembrace of their fans, on some sort of cosmic existential continuum. "Here's what I think it really is," Lowe says. "At the absolutely top level, we're no longer the center of the universe. At a level below that, other cultures, other countries, have gone through this before—whether it's the Roman Empire, or whether it's the British Empire, there have been world powers that have peaked. That's probably where we are in the world. The next level down, the economy is not great. We've got issues of whether we are or aren't in a depression or a recession. Whether gas prices are going to place real constraints on the way we lived before. Whether, because of subprime mortgages, we're ever going to be able to afford houses again, or afford the ones we currently have. And then, we come down one more level from that, and the issue is ‘Boy, was it better in the old days.' That's kind of the funnel. The context of all this is, whether it's reruns on television of Leave It to Beaver or anything that has to do with a number of years ago—clothing, music, any lifestyle issue—this nostalgia craze is real and it's enduring and it's predictable."

And here I thought it was just a craven moneymaking scheme.

I grew up in California. My dad was an alcoholic, and my mom just wasn't the best mom. They were divorced, and when my dad began to drive trucks for a living, I had to take care of my younger brother. We were poor. Like...food-bank-at-a-church poor. I even knew the schedule of what church gave out food when.

I begged my dad to just get me tickets to a show. We could never afford it. [When] I turned 11 years old, my dad gave me this HUGE box! I opened it and was extremely disappointed. There was nothing in the box. I looked at him and said it wasn't funny. He says, "What, don't you like your present?" I looked again, and at the bottom of the box were two second-row tickets to the February 21st show in Fresno!!! I was OVER the moon!!!!

—Heather Fischer, Michigan In the end, Rachel Teran got lucky. It was an exhausting trip that hadn't exactly gone well. Leaving Boston around midnight, she and her two friends took a Greyhound bus to Manhattan for the New Kids' performance on the Today show. Teran figured the schedule would give them plenty of time to make it to the NBC studios at Rockefeller Center and grab a spot up close.

They arrived at NBC at about 5 a.m. That's when Teran saw the masses: A line of fans wrapped around the block and seemed to snake all the way back to Boston. Reluctantly, Teran and company walked across the street to a larger area that had been cordoned off for overflow fans. They could still see the stage from there, but just barely. As dawn approached, it began to rain. Perfect.

Teran, 35, is a zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo. Not long after NKOTB first announced the reunion, she spent much of her day off standing outside the Kiss 108 studios in Medford. It was April, and the band was giving an interview about their rebirth. It rained that day, too. By the time the guys came out and greeted the fans, Teran was soaked. It didn't matter, though, because Danny came over and looked her right in the eye and thanked her for coming. She got some pictures with him and squealed happily just like all the other fans. "It was like we were all 15 again," she says.

Teran lives in Jamaica Plain but grew up in the sun and surf of Long Beach, listening to NKOTB with all her friends. She moved here a few years ago when her husband landed a job. It didn't work out between them, and they got divorced. Lately she's been spending a lot of time thinking about how things used to be, which is why she went to the Kiss 108 studios and resolved to make it to the Today show. "I'm going," she told her friends. "I'm going by myself if you don't want to come with me."

Ultimately, her friends Sarah and Jackie, who also work at the zoo, agreed to tag along. But when it started to rain, their mood turned dark. They had only one umbrella among them. So Jackie did what any serious (and drenched) fan would do: She flirted with a stagehand, who eventually ushered all three of them back across the street and into the exclusive area near the stage. When the New Kids came on, Teran was just 15 feet away—close enough to see their feet splash in the puddles as they danced.

After the show, the band lingered, and a few of them came down off the stage to mix with the crowd. Jordan touched Teran's hand, and Danny was just inches away. Donnie remained onstage, though—until he saw Teran and her friends. Teran had worn her Franklin Park Zoo hat…true Boston bona fides. "He looks at us and points to us, and then he comes around the stage, jumps down and comes over, and gives us hugs and kisses," she says, laughing. "Being a New Kids fan, you take a lot of crap from those who, A, don't know anything about them or, B, just don't like them. Seeing how they interact with us when they see us is validation of why we're fans. It's hard to explain the feeling. It's like being a fan of a sports team that has been ho-humming along, and you're there with the die-hards, and finally all that waiting pays off."

nkotbthing.com I'm 31 and can't believe they're back. My friends and I would listen to their music CONSTANTLY and even got banned from the local grocery store for hiding the newest editions of BOP and TEEN BEAT until I saved enough lunch money to buy them. I can't believe they found them behind the cereal boxes! My room was plastered with posters, which I still have...I have buttons and books, VHS tapes, cassettes, and CDs that are some of my most prized possessions. My mom even painted a picture of Jordan Knight (the man of my dreams) on the back of my favorite jean jacket...it's the coolest thing EVER and still hangs in my closet.

—Andrea Peterson, Seattle, Washington The New Kids on the Block may be back, but they're not here right now. Not all of them, anyway.

About 10 minutes ago, one—Jonathan—wandered off to get some cereal. No one has seen him since. Jonathan's brother, Jordan, is sitting on the couch in this tent set up behind the stage at the Kiss 108 concert, but he keeps getting up to roam around. He returns periodically—then leaves again. Joey, the youngest Kid, stays put through the entire interview, but right now he's chomping on a bagel and discussing his hat, a leather fedora that if not for the material might be something Sinatra would have worn. ("Is that the same hat from 15 years ago?" a jolly inquisitor asks. "No, see, it has a top," Joey says, tilting his head down. They both laugh.)

A year earlier, Donnie had the strange impulse to swing by his music lawyer's office in New York, a place he'd rarely visited in recent years. The lawyer handed Donnie a demo CD, which included someone he'd never heard of singing a tune now called "Summertime." Suddenly, the boys were back recording in the studio and working on their dance moves. "Summertime," their first new single, became an instant hit.

In other areas, the Kids are still trying to find the old rhythm. When he hears that two security guards saw a naked woman roaming the Tweeter Center parking lot, Danny attempts to get excited about this news. "A naked woman in the parking lot?" he asks loudly.

It's basic boy-band arithmetic: Undressed women plus musicians equals juvenile, lascivious comments. But no one responds.

Donnie, in marketing mode, continues giving an earnest interview. Though it's a warm day in May, he's prepared for colder weather: white sneakers, designer jeans, a hoodie, a black ball cap tilted to the left, a white and black scarf, and a black leather jacket with a zipper over the left breast. Jordan and Joey, for reasons unknown, are busy wrestling with each other at the far end of the couch.

Jonathan is still MIA. Considering the long layoff, the rust is understandable. The Kids, incredibly, are pushing 40. It's been many years since they ran the well-worn path from nobodies to national celebrities to played-out punch lines. But then, for New Kids devotees, this reunion isn't really about the band or even the music—it's about the fans themselves, just as it was the first time around. The New Kids were to these women's adolescences what the Beatles had been to their mothers'—an act around which they spun their experiences and memories and insecurities. Today their daughters have their own bands they can attach themselves to. It's just a happy accident of timing that NKOTB fans wound up Blockheads and not 'N Syncophants.

Not that I recommend telling them that. It's 10 a.m., and outside the Tweeter Center, scores of rabid Kids enthusiasts are already lined up for a concert that won't begin for a very long time. Among them are two lifelong friends from New Hampshire named Crystal and Sarah. They've been waiting years for this show.

What's another 10 hours?

Originally published in Boston magazine, August 2008

nkotbthing.com USA TMZ 08.02.2008

http://www.tmz.com

PHOTOS CAFFEINATED

NEW YORK - MAY 16: Jordan Knight of New Kids On The Block performs during the NBC 'Today' show concert series at Rockefeller Center on May 16, 2008 in New York City.

(Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - MAY 16: Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block poses at a signing for their new single "Summertime" at Macy's Herald Square on May 16, 2008 in New York City.

(Photo by Rob Loud/Getty Images)

Jordan Knight's got the right stuff

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.02.2008

http://www.nkotb.com

nkotbthing.com USA VH1 08.02.2008

http://www.vh1.com

This Week's Top 20 Natasha Bedingfield Pocketful Of Sunshine

Daughtry What About Now

New Kids on the Block Summertime Leona Lewis Better In Time

Kid Rock All Summer Long

nkotbthing.com USA TAMPA BAY 08.03.2008

http://www.tampabaycom

Listen to this

SEAN DALY'S CD PICKS: BLACK KIDS, JAMES, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, NAS

By Sean Daly, Times Pop Music Critic New Kids on the Block Album: Greatest Hits (Columbia) In stores: Aug. 12 Why we care: You might think I have a cool job. The CDs. The concerts. The awesome hair. But there are hazards. For instance, on Nov. 2, I will be at the St. Pete Times Forum reviewing the New Kids on the Block reunion show. And I will be surrounded by a phalanx of screaming 31-year-old women who would gladly stab a music critic to get to Jordan Knight. Like I said: hazards.

Why we like it: I was a dork in 1988 for myriad reasons. But I'm proud to say one of those reasons was not for liking NKOTB, the boy band that sold 70-million albums. This cheese-whipped time capsule will provide hours of nostalgic fun for the aforementioned stabbers.

Reminds us of: My fave New Kid? Cubby.

Download this: I'll Be Loving You (Forever) Grade: C

nkotbthing.com USA BEST BUY 08.03.2008

http://www.bestbuy.com

GRAND OPENING MALL OF AMERICA MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS STORE Friday, August 8 Stop in to celebrate the opening of the new musical instruments store inside the new Mall of America Best Buy store. The celebration includes a live performance by pop supergroup New Kids on the Block, special offers and more.

Be one of the first to reserve your copy of The Block, the next CD from NKOTB. Starting at 10 a.m. at Best Buy's Mall of America location and at the kiosk in the MOA Rotunda, pay for the CD and get a limitededition laminate that willl reserve a place in line for an autograph session immediately following the live performance. (Laminate is not available with online pre-order.)

Performance schedule: New Kids on the Block — 5:30 p.m.

(Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis with laminate. Maximum 1 per person. Event subject to change. Show time is approximate and subject to change.)

Get in on the festivities!

Store Location Mall of America 340 W. Market Bloomington, MN 55425

nkotbthing.com USA BEST BUY 08.04.2008 http://www.bestbuy.com

SEE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AT THE GRAND OPENING OF THE MALL OF AMERICA BEST BUY STORE Sale and free shipping They rose from the streets of Boston to become one of the best-selling pop acts of all time, with more than 70 million albums sold and five multiplatinum releases.

Now New Kids on the Block are back with a long-awaited reunion tour and their first new CD in over a decade.

Catch Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood back together again. Enter for a chance to win four (4) tickets to see NKOTB on November 25 in San Diego, California. Prize includes hotel and airfare. See abbreviated rules below.

Gear up for the worldwide tour with great pricing and free shipping on the new CD, The Block, and on the standard or deluxe edition of the new greatest hits CD. New Kids on the Block Greatest Hits includes all of the biggest hits from NKOTB, including "Hangin' Tough," "Step

by Step" and "I'll Be Loving You (Forever)."

nkotbthing.com JAPAN HMV 08.05.2008 http://www.hmv.co.jp

1. CLICK CLICK CLICK 2. SINGLE 3. BIG GIRL NOW FEATURING LADY GAGA 4. SUMMERTIME 5. 2 IN THE MORNING 6. GROWN MAN FEATURING THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS 7. DIRTY DANCING 8. SEXIFY MY LOVE 9. TWISTED 10. FULL SERVICE FEATURING NEW EDITION 11. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION 12. PUT IT ON MY TAB FEATURING AKON 13. STARE AT YOU 14. CLOSE TO YOU 15. ONE SONG 16. OFFICIALLY OVER

nkotbthing.com USA ET ONLINE 08.05.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

BOBBY: NEW EDITION BROWN OUT "BEST THING FOR ME" Virginia Sherwood/NBC, AP Photo/Robert E. Klein It remains to be seen whether New Edition and New Kids on the Block teaming up will be a super group or more of a stupor group.

But whatever happens, it's all gravy to a suddenly philosophical Bobby Brown, who now sees getting kicked out of New Edition years ago as a good thing when viewed in the rearview mirror: "It was only them kicking me out the group that made me like, 'Yo, if I don't succeed, I ain't going to be [nothing] back home.' But these Brothers did the best thing for me that could ever possibly be done.

Teach me a lesson," Brown tells Jet magazine in this week's, um, new edition.

So far, there's no guarantee Bobby will be part of the New/New amalgamation, but New Edition sources say they'll definitely have a sixth mic ready. Because, y'know, it's his prerogative.

nkotbthing.com USA TWINCITIES 08.05.2008 http://www.twincities.com

TOGETHER, THEY'RE 15 AGAIN

THE NEW KIDS AND SMITTEN FANS ARE BACK

By Ross Raihala rraihala@pioneerpress.com There's clearly some happy news being shared in this corner of a suburban sports bar. Ten women shout and squeal with the intimate excitement of lifelong friends who've gathered to celebrate an engagement or pregnancy.

As it turns out, they're not eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new kid. They're waiting for five of them — the recently reunited boy band New Kids on the Block, who make their first Twin Cities appearance Friday at the Mall of America.

Peggy Huot, front, shows a New Kids on the Block book to Lisa Duran, back, at Chatterbox Pub in St. Paul, Minn. August 1, 2008. (PIONEER PRESS: Brandi Jade Thomas)

"This is like a New Kids on the Block Anonymous meeting," said Peggy Huot, a 32-year-old social worker from Woodbury.

"We can all laugh and tell our stories, and people actually get it."

For several months, this group has gathered regularly to discuss and dissect a musical act that reached its peak during the first Bush presidency. And the kicker is that, back when there still was snow on the ground, these ladies were complete strangers. They met online, through an NKOTB message board.

Like Huot, most of the women are in their early 30s, the key age for the NKOTB demographic who spent their early teens memorizing the dance steps and lyrics to hits like "Hangin' Tough" and "Step by Step."

Some in the group are single, some are married, some have kids. Some work in the corporate sector, some work from home. None would have met if not for the New Kids.

"That was part of what made it so special before, sharing it with your friends," said Tiffany Brand, of Golden Valley. "You really have to get together with people who enjoy it fully. Other people don't understand."

Huot added, with a laugh, "My other friends all think I'm nuts, but now I have these guys, so I don't care anymore."

During these meetings, these women — they call themselves the TC Blockheads — show off all their old NKOTB memorabilia, from carefully compiled, decades-old scrapbooks to posters and board games and buttons. They decipher every new rumor or sample of a new song that hits the Internet. They playfully argue over their favorite New Kid. (Joey McIntyre, the youngest New Kid, claims the most fans, and, yes, they still call themselves "Joey's Girls.")

Elizabeth Anselmo makes a three-hour round trip from New Ulm, Minn., to meet with the Blockheads.

She's got the full support of her husband, who, like most of the significant others attached to these women, has absolutely no desire to see the New Kids himself.

"I have two small kids at home, and I work from home, so I have zero social interaction with people outside of my immediate family," Anselmo said. "For me, it's not only the chance to gush about how much

nkotbthing.com I love Joey. It's also just being around other people and being social. I was fortunate enough to marry a Joe, but he's my at-home Joey. Now I get to have time talking about my New-Kids-on-the-Block Joey."

But Anselmo doesn't have the steepest fuel bill of this group. That honor goes to Trish Montalbano, who drove from Greenville, Wis., for her first Blockheads meeting. "It's worth traveling five hours to get somewhere where people get me," she said.

Katie Incantalupo, of St. Paul, has kept all of her NKOTB treasures safe in plastic tubs. "I get a kick out of reorganizing them," she said, "making sure nothing is wrinkled and looking through it all when my husband's not home. I live such a professional, corporate life during the week. This is definitely a release where I can just be silly and reminisce and be myself. Not that I'm not myself at work, but this is a different part of me."

Huot said that, for her, it's about being 15 all over again: "It's OK to be totally crazy and just hang out. I never had this before, not like this. When I was still in school, I was the only person who liked the New Kids."

Reliving their childhood is a common theme among the Blockheads, but with one important distinction.

This time around, thanks to pricey VIP ticket packages, they actually have the opportunity to meet their heroes up close and personal. Plus, now that they're adults, they can afford to blow a little more dough on the experience. Most of the women are seeing multiple shows and plan to travel together to Milwaukee to see the New Kids the night after they play St. Paul.

But for all this blossoming sisterhood, the Blockheads don't want too many people to know about those VIP tickets or, for that matter, the group's Friday gig at the Mall of America. After all, the more NKOTB fans who come out of the woodwork, the less face time everyone gets with their heroes.

"New Kids fans are really sneaky," explained Incantalupo. "Like for this mall show, I don't think they're all fessing up to the fact they're coming. I think we're going to get a ton of people who come in from out of town to see them, but they haven't admitted it yet."

There's also the fact that few of the Blockheads expect this reunion to be permanent.

"I don't think they're going to be like Cher, where she keeps doing it and doing it," Huot said. "That's why I'm going to so many shows, living it up and enjoying the hell out of it. This is probably it. They're a boy band, they're not the Rolling Stones."

Even after the New Kids call it a day for the second time, the Blockheads said, their newfound friendship will remain. In addition to the group meetings, they've already started to splinter into smaller groups who catch the occasional lunch or happy hour together. And they're even starting to discuss matters that — gasp — don't directly involve Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jordan and Jonathan.

"A friend of mine asked whether or not we'll still see each other after the concerts are over," Brand said.

"I know we will. For sure."

Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at rraihala@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5553. Read more about the local music scene on his blog, "The Ross Who Knew Too Much," at blogs.twincities.com/ross.

IF YOU GO Who: The New Kids on the Block When: 5:30 p.m. Friday (performance and autograph signing) Where: Mall of America, Bloomington Also: The group will play the Xcel Energy Center Oct. 21. Seats are $77.50, $57.50 and $37.50 through Ticketmaster

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.06.2008

http://www.nkotb.com

MINNEAPOLIS, MN

EXCLUSIVE BEST BUY GRAND OPENING PERFORMANCE AND AUTOGRAPH SIGNING! FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH AT 5:30PM ROTUNDA AT MALL OF AMERICA

AUTOGRAPH SESSION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS A LIVE PERFORMANCE. RESERVE A PLACE IN THE AUTOGRAPH LINE BY PRE-ORDERING THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CD “THE BLOCK” AT BEST BUY MALL OF AMERICA (MALL OF AMERICA LOCATION ONLY). PRE-ORDER “THE BLOCK” FOR $9.99, STARTING AT 10:00 A.M FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH AT BEST BUY. LIMITED EDITION AUTOGRAPH WRISTBANDS WILL BE ISSUED WITH PRE-ORDERS ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. QUANTITES ARE LIMITED.* MALL OF AMERICA PARENTAL ESCORT POLICY APPLIES.** *AUTOGRAPH PASSES ONLY AVAILABLE WITH PRE-ORDERS PLACED AT BEST BUY MALL OF AMERICA LOCATION. CONSUMER MUST PRESENT RECEIPT AT BEST BUY MALL OF AMERICA TO PICK UP PRE-ORDERED CD BETWEEN 9/2/08 AND 9/6/08. **MALL OF AMERICA PARENTAL ESCORT POLICY: ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY EVENINGS, YOUTH UNDER 16 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AND ADULT 21 YEARS OR OLDER FROM 4:00 P.M. UNTIL CLOSE. ONE ADULT MAY SUPERVISE UP TO 10 YOUTH. ANYONE 21 YEARS OR YOUNGER SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SHOW CURRENT VALID ID WITH PROOF OF AGE DURING PARENTAL ESCORT HOURS.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.06.2008 http://www.nkotb.com.

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com USA WALMART.COM 08.06.2008 http://soundcheck.walmart.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK They’ve got the right stuff. Soundcheck welcomes blast-from-the-past, New Kids On The Block. Don’t miss an exclusive sneak peek of the comeback that everyone’s talking about. Plus, the band performs their new hit ‘Summertime’, and chats with us about their glory days, what they’re excited about this time around and their higly anticipated new album, ‘The Block`. Come back August 15 to watch their full performance!

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.06.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

NKOTB/ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TODAY! PLEASE TUNE IN! NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK ON ACCESS HOLLYWOOD CD COVER/TOUR PREVIEW SEGMENT AIR DATES/TIMES: TODAY AT 3:30 AND 7:30PM PST AND 7:30PM EST ON NBC 4 FOR OTHER TIME ZONES PLEASE CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS.

nkotbthing.com USA THE NATIONAL LEDGER 08.06.2008 http://www.nationalledger.com

MICHAEL JACKSON RECORDING WITH AKON AND REDONE: ALBUM ETA UNKNOWN

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Michael Jackson continues to spend time in Las Vegas, where he's been recording with producers Akon and RedOne off and on since spring -- but it's anyone's guess as to when the long-embattled music icon will be coming out with another album. "It's not like it's a secret, it's just that nobody knows," says the super hot RedOne (nee Nadir Khayat).

"When it comes to Michael, I'm not allowed to talk about the recording," he adds. But I can say he's unbelievable, honestly the best that music has ever known, the ultimate star, artist, musician. Every other star I work with, I tell them I'm working with Michael Jackson, and they're like 'Oh, my God!' And when I tell him, he's so humble and polite, he's like, 'Oh, thank you.'"

Those other stars the effervescent Moroccan-Swedish music man is currently working with comprise an amazing roster, including: Shakira (he worked on her "Hips Don't Lie" monster hit and is now helping the sexy Colombian superstar on her next album), Brandy, Lionel Richie, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton and more. RedOne will also have six or seven songs on the highly anticipated New Kids on the Block "Block" reunion album due next month. (Over the weekend, Donnie Wahlberg denied reports that a Jackson duet would be on the NKOTB album, by the way.)

As far as the challenge of updating the '80s-'90s super group's sound while retaining its essence?

RedOne lets us know he avoided thinking in those terms. "We just had fun in the studio and created music -- there was no 'trying,' it was just natural. I'm very melodic, and I'm their fan, too, so working with them was natural for me. The beat is updated, and we took things to the next level. It was just crazy. We worked quick -- like, six songs in six days."

One song, written by Wahlberg, Lady Gaga (a.k.a. Stefani Germanotta) and RedOne "is actually a duet with New Kids on the Block and New Edition, it's called 'Full Service.' And there's another song called 'Big Girl Now,' which is a duet with New Kids and Lady Gaga. The reaction so far from radio people and others is everyone's just crazy about that. Lady Gaga is just blowing huge right now," he adds of the artist, whose "Just Dance" worldwide hit was played on the "So You Think You Can Dance" results show last week.

"She's the future of music."

nkotbthing.com USA ACCESS HOLLYWOOD 08.06.2008 http://video.accesshollywood.com

ALL ACCESS: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK The New Kids on the Block still have it, and even Nancy O'Dell couldn't help but swoon over Donnie's sweet words! And she's not the only one -reuniting after 14 years, the boys have fans in a frenzy!

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.07.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

THE BLOCK - OFFICIAL TRACK LISTING! THE BLOCK - STANDARD VERSION (DIGITAL & PHYSICAL) 1. CLICK CLICK CLICK 2. SINGLE (WITH NE-YO) 3. BIG GIRL NOW (FEATURING LADY GAGA) 4. SUMMERTIME 5. 2 IN THE MORNING 6. GROWN MAN (FEATURING PUSSYCAT DOLLS AND TEDDY RILEY) 7. DIRTY DANCING 8. SEXIFY MY LOVE 9. TWISTED 10.

FULL SERVICE (FEATURING NEW EDITION) 11. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION 12.PUT IT ON MY TAB (FEATURING AKON) 13.STARE AT YOU

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.07.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

MEET THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AT THESE LOCATIONS! CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF “THE BLOCK” AND MEET THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AT THESE LOCATIONS! LOS ANGELES, CA August 28th at 7pm Best Buy 1501 N Victory Pl Burbank, CA 91502 (818) 845-5121 PRE-PURCHASE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CD “THE BLOCK” AND YOU WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL PASS TO ATTEND THE AUTOGRAPH SIGNING! (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE) PRE-SALE BEGINS AT 10AM ON 8/28 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

NEW YORK CITY, NY September 2nd at 6:30pm ** THE BLOCK RELEASE DAY** Best Buy 529 5th Ave # A New York, NY 10017 (212) 808-0309 PURCHASE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CD “THE BLOCK” AND YOU WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL PASS TO ATTEND THE AUTOGRAPH SIGNING! (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE) PASS DISTRIBUTION BEGINS AT 10AM ON 9/2 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

BOSTON, MA September 6th at 1pm Newbury Comics ** GRAND OPENING** Faneuil Hall Marketplace North Market Building Boston, MA 02109 (617) 248-9992 PURCHASE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK CD “THE BLOCK” AND YOU WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL PASS TO ATTEND THE AUTOGRAPH SIGNING! (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE) PASS DISTRIBUTION BEGINS AT 8AM ON 9/6 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08.07.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

A WORD FROM DONNIE HEY ALL, THIS BLOG IS MOSTLY TO THE LA/WEST COAST FANS BUT, SINCE A LOT OF YOU ARE SO CRAAAAAAAZZZZZYYYYYY AND ARE COMING TO MANY SHOWS AROUND THE COUNTRY, I FIGURED I BETTER WRITE THIS TO ALL OF YOU….

THE LA CLIPPERS HAVE ASKED US TO SWITCH OUT OUR SECOND STAPLES SHOW TO THE NOKIA THEATER ACROSS THE STREET. SAME DATE. SAME NIGHT. SAME TIME. PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AMOUNT OF SEATS. SAME PARKING STRUCTURES. SO NO BIG DEAL…. RIGHT? OR IS IT…..?

NOW BEING CELTICS FANS WE ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF HELPING OUT OTHER NBA TEAMS… BUT SINCE THE CETLICS WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP… WE DO FEEL A BIT OF PITY FOR THE REST OF THE NBA. THAT SAID…. WE HAVE AGREED TO LET THEM HAVE THE DATE. THE NEGATIVE…..?

CAN’T SEE ANY. THE POSITIVE….?

THE NOKIA THEATER IS A MUCH MORE INTIMATE VENUE FOR US TO PLAY IN FOR THE FINAL STOP ON OUR US PART OF THE TOUR. THIS AND WILL GIVE US A CHANCE TO FINISH IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS MUCH CLOSER TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!

IN FACT… IT IS MORE FACE TIME FRIENDLY!!!!!

AND YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT FACE TIME!!!!!!!!

EITHER WAY….

NOBODY CAN STOP THE PARTY THAT IS GONNA REIGN DOWN ON LA ON THANKSGIVING EVE… NO MATTER IF WE GOTTA PLAY IN A HIGH SCHOOL GYM!!!

IT IS GONNA BE OUR NIGHT TOGETHER!!!

JUDGING FROM ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS….

I AM NOT GONNA GET ANY SLEEP ON THIS TOUR….

AND GUESS WHAT….

I DON’T WANT ANY SLEEP!!!!

I’M COMING FOR YOU!!!!

MUCH LOVEDONNIE W

nkotbthing.com UK DAILY STAR 08.07.2008 PRINTED PAPER

THE WILD BUNCH! ABOVE: New Kids On The Block are back and ready to rock on their world tour7th August 2008 NEW Kids On The Block have spoken for the first time about wild moments outside the boyband glare.

But the all-singing and dancing outfit say their families kept the teen idols on the straight and narrow.

Joey McIntyre, 35, told me: “We all went through bumpy times in our own ways. Sure, we are going to make mistakes, but luckily our close families were there to make sure we didn’t fall too hard.

“We all had to figure out our lives after the craziness of New Kids ended.

“I didn’t go to college so I didn’t have that party time, but I definitely had party time where I was going out and passing out on my front lawn a couple of times.

“Boston is a very small town so you can’t get a big head as they keep you down.

“Sometimes it is frustrating because if you wear the wrong colour shirt then you are a freak, but the good thing is that they keep you grounded.”

Joey credits bandmates Jordan, 37, and Jon Knight, 38, Danny Wood, 38, and Donnie Wahlberg, 39, for keeping each other sane.

As they gear up to release comeback single Summertime next month and launch a world tour, they all seem to have their heads screwed on.

Joey continued: “Many of our friends are like: ‘How did you guys not manage to get into drugs?’

“That would never cross our minds.”

With new album The Block featuring collaborations with Ne-Yo, 25, and Pussycat Dolls, NKOTB are set to return to the top of the charts.

Joey said: “Ne-Yo is one of the most sought-after songwriters, so we were really pleased he wanted to be on the track as an artist too.

“The PCD track is a Teddy Riley song and has some great vocals. It has a really cool vibe.”

I can reveal that Robyn, 29, and Natasha Bedingfield, 26, will support the band in the US. Joey grinned: “Natasha’s album was my last purchase and I absolutely love it.”

British girl power.

nkotbthing.com UK FEMALE FIRST 08.07.2008 http://www.femalefirst.co.uk

NEW KIDS SINGER JOEY MCINTYRE SLEPT ON LAWN. New Kids On The Block singer Joey McIntyre went off the rails when the band split - and often got so drunk he would sleep in his garden.

The boyband parted ways in 1994, and McIntyre confesses he would frequently wake up in his front yard after a night of hard partying.

But he insists he always steered clear of drugs - and eventually cleaned up his act with the help of his family and friends.

McIntyre, 35, says, "We all went through bumpy times in our own ways. Sure, we are going to make mistakes, but luckily our close families were there to make sure we didn't fall too hard.

"We all had to figure out our lives after the craziness of New Kids ended. I didn't go to college so I didn't have that party time, but I definitely had party time where I was going out and passing out on my front lawn a couple of times.

"Boston (Massachusetts) is a very small town so you can't get a big head as they keep you down. They keep you grounded.

"Many of our friends are like, 'How did you guys not manage to get into drugs?' That would never cross our minds."

McIntyre and bandmates Jordan Knight, Jon Knight, Danny Wood, and Donnie Wahlberg have since reunited and are currently preparing for a world tour.

nkotbthing.com USA MSNBC TODAY SHOW 08.07.2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com

LATEST ON THE TODAY CONCERT SERIES NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AND NE-YO TO ROCK THE PLAZA ON LABOR DAY NEW YORK - NEW YORK – The New Kids on the Block will be back on the plaza performing live on TODAY, Monday, Sept. 1. R&B chart-topper Ne-Yo with join the New Kids for the special Labor Day concert. The New Kids on the Block first reunited live on TODAY in April and then, in their first concert since splitting in 1994, performed as part of the Toyota Summer Concert Series in May. Pop sensation the Pussycat Dolls have also been added to the TODAY summer concert line-up, joining previously announced Katy Perry and Jesse McCartney in the "Songs of Summer" concert on Aug. 29.

Following is a list of remaining concerts scheduled to date: AUGUST 8 TODAY at the Beijing Olympics 15 TODAY at the Beijing Olympics 22 TODAY at the Beijing Olympics 29 "Songs of Summer" concert featuring the Pussycat Dolls, Katy Perry, and Jesse McCartney SEPTEMBER

1 (MONDAY) NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AND NE-YO 5 Michael Buble

The New Kids on the Block will be back on the Plaza performing live on TODAY, Monday, Sept. 1 along with R&B chart-topper Ne-Yo. The two music stars will give a special Labor Day concert.

nkotbthing.com USA MSNBC TODAY SHOW 08.07.2008 http://www.msnbc.msn.com

NKOTB AND NE-YO TO PERFORM AT TODAY SHOW The New Kids on the Block and R&B singer Ne-Yo will perform a special Labor Day Concert Daily Entertainment Photos - "Get the latest celeb gossip!"

Encore! The New Kids on the Block are returning to the Today Show's summer concert series on September 1 alongside Ne-Yo. NKOTB and the R&B singer collaborated on the song "Single" for the band's new album due out September 2.

The group performed back in May to thousands of devoted fans.

nkotbthing.com USA NEW YORK POST 08.07.2008 http://www.nypost.com

'KIDS' ARE ALL RIGHT

BOY BAND SAVES 'TODAY' AFTER PAULA'S PULLOUT Post staff writer Jordan, Danny, Donny, Jon and Joey will perform Aug. 29.

NEW Kids on the Block have saved the "Today" show from embarrassment - gallantly replacing Paula Abdul on the show's summer concert series.

"Today" announced last week that Abdul had backed out of her scheduled Aug. 29 appearance - for the second time this season.

Abdul was originally booked to perform her new single, "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," in April - but canceled and was then rescheduled for Aug. 29.

She backed out again last Friday, citing " 'American Idol' commitments."

"Today" then turned around and booked the newly refurbished Kids.

The group, first assembled in 1984, has sold over 70 million albums worldwide, generated hundreds of millions of dollars in concert revenues and paved the way for acts like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. They broke up in 1994 but reunited this year.

They are planning an album and tour slated for this fall.

nkotbthing.com

08

08-16

08

nkotbthing.com UK THE SUN 08.08.2008 http://www.thesun.co.uk

'WHEN THIS ENDS WE'LL BE IN OUR 40S...NO MORE COMEBACKS’ SFTW meets New Kids On The Block

Return ... the New Kids are all now fathers in their mid to late thirties

REMEMBER 1989 when Madonna topped the singles charts with Like A Prayer, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade was a box-office smash, Liverpool beat Everton 3–2 in the FA Cup Final and the Berlin Wall came down?

Well for pre-pubescent girls, the year meant only one thing: the arrival of New Kids On The Block (cue hysterical screaming).

Brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, and Danny Wood — five buff guys from Boston who had the Right Stuff with their shiny white teeth, falsetto vocals, street fashion and slinky dance moves.

Fast forward 19 years and SFTW are in Burbank, California, 12 miles outside West Hollywood, at a rehearsal studio where the five are gearing up for their forthcoming world tour and release of their comeback album, titled, well what else but The Block.

The New Kids are all now fathers in their mid to late thirties but still have their boyish good looks and blinding smiles.

nkotbthing.com Crush Toned and fit, they arrive full of smiles, kisses and hugs apart from Jon, who is clearly in pain after a visit to his chiropractor.

One female journalist with me is giddy with excitement about meeting her old idols and arrives clutching an old NKOTB tour programme from yesteryear. I’m told other interviewers have brought old pillows, records and photos from the height of the New Kids hysteria to be signed.

However, not the right age to have a crush on them the first time around, I arrive empty handed. Keen to let the PR know that I won’t be fainting when I meet the band, I remind her for the third time I was never a fan. I am just curious to see what all the fuss is about.

And there has been a BIG fuss about their comeback.

Two weeks after announcing their first US arena tour in almost 15 years, additional shows were added, with tickets selling at a rate of 6,000 a day.

Their first New York date sold out in just six minutes, Toronto in four minutes and a string of home town gigs in Boston in under ten minutes. “Our shows will be nostalgia sprinkled with a joyous newness,” Donnie tells me.

“I would not be here if everyone didn’t agree to do the new album. No way.

“I was on a movie set working with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, things were going great.”

Like his younger brother Mark, Donnie ventured into acting after NKOTB finally split in 1994 as well as continuing to work as a producer.

He’s acted in films including The Sixth Sense and Ransom and TV series Band of Brothers. Attempts to reunite NKOTB were made long before comebacks became the new trend.

In 1999, MTV tried to get them back for the VMAs but Jonathan declined while in 2004, Joey, Danny and Donnie refused to reform for VH1’s Bands Reunited.

The Block ... album out on September 8 Jordan, who had solo success after the band split, explains: “It worked this time for all of us because it wasn’t a TV show or a fast-talking promoter trying to put us together. It was five guys, ready to do it, talking together from the ground up.”

Joey, who has starred in hit Broadway shows, adds: “We accomplished a lot as a pop group and we take pride in what we did. That’s why if we were going to do this again it had to be in a way we’d all be proud of.”

“It’s about respect,” adds Donnie. “We can go out and try to earn the respect of the world but at the end of the day we have to be able to respect ourselves.

“When we walk away from this, this time we’re going to be in our forties. There’ll be no comeback after that. We won’t be able to regret anything but be able to feel good about reforming and make an album we feel really good about.”

NKOTB saw collaborators queuing up to work with them.

Akon, New Edition, Timbaland, The Pussycat Dolls and Ne-Yo all feature on The Block (but not Michael Jackson or Madonna as was rumoured). These famous friends have contributed to the reformed NKOTB’s fresher urban pop style. Tracks worth a mention include Summertime, with its breezy feel-good vibe, Sexify My Love — which is pure Justin Timberlake — and Single, which is full of attitude.

Storm But the album’s best track is Click, Click, Click, a laid-back dreamy ballad penned by unknown singer–songwriter Nazeree.

Donnie explains: “That track really was the perfect storm. I was in such a bad place last summer as my marriage was breaking up and I heard that song and it inspired me. It felt perfect and gave me the incentive to go in another direction.

“Acting is great but I had a lot of energy and emotion going through me and music is a more rapid response than acting.

It’s the song that got us back together.”

NKOTB were a massive phenomenon and set the scene for bands like Backstreet Boys, Take That, Boyzone and *NSYNC. NKOTB sold more than 70million albums, won countless awards and at one point earned more than Madonna and Michael Jackson through tickets and merchandise which included NKOTB dolls, T-shirts, lunchboxes and even fluffy slippers.

“Aaah the pink fluffy slippers,” laughs Joey. “They were a little much. Did we wear them? Are you kidding?!”

The boys admit that the stratospheric level of fame they achieved had its downsides.

Danny, who stayed working in music and starred on reality TV after the split, reveals: “I remember the very first time we had thousands of fans show up to see us in Fresno, California. We are all still amazed by that. The fans were on the roof tops, everywhere, just to catch a glimpse.

“We were on the biggest tour of our career but the flip side to that was I was the most unhappy that I had been within the group.

“Everything that was happening, the whole machine, the merchandising, got out of control.

“We were so young and we didn’t know how to reel that all in.

We did eventually and of course now we have everything under control but it was not fun like the other tours. The tours after that were more fun.”

Crazy Donnie adds: “Yep, we had fans everywhere, outside our houses and it got a little crazy at times but sometimes when you feel like a bag of sh*t, you’d walk outside and they’d say hi and it would really fill your soul.”

So who do the band see as their fans today?

Jon, who also runs a successful real estate company, says: “It’s funny, I just got a text from one of my tenants and she said her four-year old and her friend heard us on the radio and both said they loved the song. So I guess we have fans new and old, the original ones plus those too young the first time who are discovering us for the first time.”

“I have this analogy about our shows before and after,” says Donnie. “For our old concerts they were like women who we had sex with like rabbits. Now our shows are women who we make love to.

It’s a controlled energy but there’s nothing that dancewise is challenging, everyone’s in great shape, everyone’s stayed healthy and it’s all looking good.”

There are no egos on show today from the New Kids and although I was never someone who screamed at the mere mention of their name, as they leave the studio for a quick game of basketball, I’m happy to have met the down-to-earth, friendly bunch.

NKOTB’s single Summertime is out on September 1, followed by their album The Block on September 8.

nkotbthing.com ARGENTINA ADN MUNDO 08.08.2008 http://www.adnmundo.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: 'NUNCA SE NOS CRUZÓ POR LA CABEZA CONSUMIR DROGAS' A PESAR DE HABER COMETIDO ALGUNOS ERRORES, LOS INTEGRANTES DEL GRUPO CONFESARON QUE SUS FAMILIAS LOS AYUDARON A PODER MANTENER LOS PIES SOBRE LA TIERRA, SOBRETODO LUEGO DE LA SEPARACIÓN, EN 1994.

El cantante Joey McIntyre, de 35 años, dijo:' Todos tuvimos momentos agitados, cada uno a su manera. Seguro, cometimos errores pero por suerte nuestros familiares más cercanos estuvieron allí para asegurarse de que no caímos.'

'Tuvimos que imaginarnos nuestras vidas luego de la locura que significó New Kids.' 'No iba al colegio, por lo que no había tenido aquel tiempo de fiesta, pero definitivamente disfruté mucho el momento en que pude salir por mi cuenta.' 'Boston es un pueblo pequeño, por lo que no puedes crecer si te quedas allí.

'Muchos de nuestros amigos nos dicen,' como hicieron para no meterse en el mundo de las drogas?' Eso nunca se cruzó por nuestras cabezas.'

Joey y sus compañeros, Jordan Knight, de 37, Jon Knight, de 38, Danny Wood, de 38 y Donnie Wahlberg, de 39, volvieron a reunirse para grabar el álbum 'The Block', y se preparan para hacer una gira mundial.

Su nuevo disco, contará con la colaboración de Ne-Yo y las Pussycat Dolls. Joey está encantado de que los hayan acompañado.

'Ne-Yo es uno de los mejores compositores, por lo que estamos realmente felices de que haya querido estar en uno de los temas.'

'El track que grabamos con las Pussycat es una canción de Teddy Riley y tiene algunas voces grandiosas.

Tiene una vibración muy cool', agregó.

nkotbthing.com USA KARE NEWS 11 MINNEAPOLIS 08.08.2008 http://www.kare11.com

THEY CAN STILL DRAW A CROWD: THE 'NEW KIDS' ROCK THE MOA They're still 'hangin tough.'

Nearly 20 years after they first hit the big time, the New Kids on the Block rocked the Mall of America Friday night.

Nearly 10,000 screaming fans filled the Mall's Rotunda. The scene very similar to the craze the New Kids created in the early 90's. The big difference now, they're older and they're fans are too.

The ladies that were girls almost 20 years ago when the NKOTB were the hearthrobs of America, waited, in some cases for an entire day, to see them again.

When The Kids, now men, took the stage, these 30 somethings dialed it back two decades and screamed like 6th grade girls.

The idea of meeting a New Kid... well, some things just can't be put into words.

The Kids were in town promoting their new album 'The Block', which hits stores next month.

If you missed them Friday, don't fret, they'll be back at the Xcel Energy Center on October 21st.

By Jana Shortal, KARE 11 News

nkotbthing.com USA WCCO 08.08.2008 http://wcco.com

GOOD QUESTIONS: WHY DOES MUSIC BRING US BACK? whatever our age, why does music bring us back? Jason DeRusha reports (2:59).

nkotbthing.com USA FOX 9NEWS AT 10 08.08.2008 www.youtube.com

nkotbthing.com USA PICASA, MYSPACE, PHOTOBUCKET… 08.08.2008

nkotbthing.com that

nkotbthing.com USA HEARTBEAT BOYS 08. 08.200 www.heartbeatboys.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK MEET HEARTBEAT BOYS

nkotbthing.com USA BILLBOARD NYC 08.10.2008

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08. 11.2008 www.nkotb.com

DONNIE & DANNY’S EARTHQUAKE ADVENTURE! HEY ALL!!!!

QUICK THINGI’VE BEEN IN LA FOR A WHILE… BEEN IN A FEW EARTHQUAKES. THE ONE LAST WEEK HIT WHILE WE WERE IN REHEARSAL… AND I REALIZED AFTER IT HIT….

THAT I NEED A CAMERA PHONE WITH VIDEO… SEE I’M USED TO EARTHQUAKES….

DANNY WOOD, HOWEVER, IS NOT USED TO THEM. IF YOU ALL COULD SEE DANNY RUNNING TO A DOORWAY WHEN THAT SUCKER HIT… MAN I WISH I HAD A CAMERA!!!

FUNNY S*#@!!!!!!!

SORRY DANNY… I’D HAVE YOU IN MY CORNER IN MOST ANY DANGEROUS SITUATION IN LIFE… I GUESS AN EARTHQUAKE IS NOT ONE OF THEM. THOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT….

MY FIRST EARTHQUAKE….

I DIDN’T RUN FOR A DOORWAY….

I RAN OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR!!!

GOOD TIMES. MUCH LOVE, DONNIE W

nkotbthing.com USA MARKET WATCH 08. 11.2008 www.marketwatch.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK RETURN TO THE BLOCK ICONIC POP GROUP RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM AND SOLD-OUT TOUR NEW YORK, Aug 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Pop supergroup New Kids On The Block are back.

Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jordan and Jonathan Knight return on September 2, 2008 with The Block, their first album together in almost 15 years.

Featuring the first single, the hit mellow jam "Summertime," the album also features collaborations with some of the biggest names in pop music. R&B superstar Ne-Yo appears on "Single," the follow-up to "Summertime." Other collaborations include "Grown Man" (with The Pussycat Dolls and uber-producer Teddy Riley), "Put It on My Tab" (with the ubiquitous Akon), "Big Girl Now" (with NY dance-pop diva Lady GaGa) and the much-buzzed about "Full Service" (with fellow supergroup New Edition).

NKOTB will support The Block with a sold-out tour that starts on September 18 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and continues through the end of November. NKOTB are also gearing up for an exclusive 90minute live event, "New Kids On The Block: A Behind The Music Special Event" premiering on VH1, September 28 at 8PM (ET/PT). In a first-of-its-kind production, the special will celebrate the history of the New Kids On The Block while also documenting their inspired 2008 reunion in their own words.

Interspersed throughout the special will be live reports from Boston, counting down until VH1 airs a live broadcast of the first three songs from the world renowned groups sold out concert at the TD Banknorth Garden in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

A virtual media frenzy followed the group's official reunion announcement, including word that the band had signed to Interscope Records for the new album. Fans got a sneak peak of the guys at their first public performance together in 15 years live on NBC's 'TODAY' Show on May 16, 2008. The reunion of all five members of the famed 90s group that sold millions of albums and sparked a worldwide phenomenon was enthusiastically embraced by one of the largest crowds of screaming fans the show has ever seen.

A phenomenal fan base has always been one of the cornerstones of the group's success. After the initial announcement of the reunion on live television, the website was overwhelmed with traffic causing a temporary system crash. The NKOTB.com webmasters worked quickly to get the site back online with all the news and photos. Fans are encouraged to sign up for more information at http://www.nkotb.com.

BACKGROUND NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK sold more than 80 million albums worldwide -- including back-to-back international #1 songs, 1988's Hangin' Tough and 1990's Step By Step -- and a series of crossover smash R&B, pop hits like "You Got It (The Right Stuff)," "Cover Girl," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," "Hangin' Tough," "I'll Be Loving You," "Step By Step" and "Tonight." The group shattered concert box office records playing an estimated 200 concerts a year, in sold out stadiums throughout the world. They still hold many of these records to date. They were Forbes highest paid entertainers of 1990, beating out Michael Jackson and Madonna. The band boasted an extensive and highly profitable merchandise line which included everything from lunch boxes and sleeping bags to comic books, marbles and dolls.

SOURCE Interscope Records http://www.nkotb.com

nkotbthing.com UK METRO 08. 11.2008 http://www.metro.co.uk

NINETIES BOYBAND NEW KIDS MAKE UK COMEBACK Nineties band New Kids On the Block have described their British fans as wild.

The band who are set to follow in the footsteps of Take That and the Spice girls with their first reunion tour in eighteen years described UK fans as the most frantic.

NKOTB: Yes, they are coming back!

In an interview with Heat magazine Donnie says: "British fans are the most frenetic, funny, witty - very unlike America.

"You're being swarmed by 20,000 girls, and a fan in London will say 'Donnie, when you sang that song, it meant a lot to me', while ripping your clothes off. It's charming!"

Danny, who says the band will be 'pulling all the old moves' on the tour, said: "British fans are hot. On fire! There are so many beautiful women in the UK." But after making legions of tweens swoon in the early '90s, with hit songs such as The Right Stuff and Hang Tough, the 30 something's should be reminded that their fans are a little older and really may not buy this talk anymore.

After all the oldest member of the group Jonathan Knight turns 40 this year.

The group sold more than 50 million albums and became a worldwide phenomenon before calling it quits in 1994.

Donnie Walbergbrother of actor Mark Walberg- and youngest member Joey have gone on to have movie careers, while Danny Wood and Jordan Knight have stayed in the music industry.

Danny Wood appeared in the MTV show Totally Boyband.

The full article appears in this week's Heat Magazine which is now on sale.

nkotbthing.com UK HEAT 08. 11.2008 PRINTED MAGAZINE

nkotbthing.com USA ITUNES 08. 12.2008

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08. 12.2008 www.nkotb.com

DANNY WOOD CHECKS IN… JUST WANTED TO CHECK IN WITH EVERYONE. I ALSO WANTED TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO SHOWED UP AT THE MALL OF AMERICA PERFORMANCE ON AUGUST 8TH. ONCE AGAIN IT IS A DAY I WILL NEVER FORGET. ONE OF THE MANY DAYS IN THIS JOURNEY THAT CONTINUE TO SURPRISE ME AND LEAVE ME IN SHOCK. WE STARTED THE DAY FLYING ON A PRIVATE JET, A CITATION X, WHICH IS THE FASTED NON-MILITARY JET IN THE WORLD. THIS WAS MORE THAN SPECIAL FOR ME BECAUSE MY COMPANY, HALCYON JETS, PROVIDED THE PLANE. IT WAS SUCH AN AMAZING RIDE, AND LOTS OF LAUGHS ON THE PLANE. GARY ARNOLD FROM BEST BUY WAS THERE TO GREET US WHEN WE GOT TO THE MALL. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK GARY FOR MAKING THE WHOLE EVENT POSSIBLE AND SO SPECIAL. ALL THE PEOPLE WE MET BEFORE WE HIT THE STAGE WERE GREAT. THEN WE PERFORMED AND THE CROWD WAS AWESOME. YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO AMAZE ME. YOUR SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING. WE GOT TO DO “SINGLE” WHICH WE ARE ALL EXCITED ABOUT. THEN WE GOT TO MEET SOME OF YOU, WHICH WAS THE BEST PART OF THE EVENT. EVERYONE KEEPS THANKING US, BUT HONESTLY, YOU DESERVE THE THANKS. WITHOUT THE FANS NONE OF THIS IS POSSIBLE. THEN WE GOT BACK ON THE JET TO L.A., MORE REHEARSING FOR TOUR PREPARATION. WHAT AN AMAZING TIME. THE NEW MEMORIES KEEP GROWING. UNTIL NEXT TIME……….

DANNY P.S. DONNIE’S ACCOUNT OF MY REACTION TO THE EARTHQUAKE IS 100% ACCURATE. I AM USED TO HURRICANES NOT EARTHQUAKES.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08. 12.2008 EMAIL

nkotbthing.com USA AMAZON BEST SELLERS 08. 12.2008 www.amazon.com

4

10

nkotbthing.com USA TAKE 40 08. 12.2008 http://www.take40.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK KEPT YOUR UNDIES Ever wonder what 80s boy band phenomenon New Kids On The Block did with all that underwear they had thrown at them?

"We freeze dried them," jokes Donnie Wahlberg. "Our old manager kept them in bags and uses them now to entice other groups."

NKOTB, who had success with such hits as 'Hangin' Tough' and 'Step By Step' release their comeback album 'The Block' next month. "I doubt we'll get the same reaction these days," Wahlberg continued. "Those girls have become mothers and wives and probably reluctant to throw their underwear on stage these days."

New Kids On The Block will be touring Australia in 2009, and Donnie told us "We'll be doing the same signature movies but we'll also be learning some new choreography." And what about the hairstyles?

"Most of us have less these days so we won't be able to replicate that. You'll have to wait and see what we come up with."

COURTESY OF OUR LA CORRESPONDENT

nkotbthing.com USA 08. 12.2008

THIS WEEK ON THE SHOW Tuesday on the show JORDAN KNIGHT - NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!

nkotbthing.com USA VH1 08. 12.2008 http://www.vh1.com

SHOW INFO Show: New Kids on the Block: Together Again Network: (ETV) E! Entertainment Television Date: Saturday - August 30, 2008 Time: 10:30/9:30c AM Duration: 0:30 EPISODE DESCRIPTION About: New Kids on the Block: Together Again no description available SERIES DESCRIPTION About: New Kids on the Block: Together Again The boys are back, and so are their fans! In an exclusive interview, The New Kids on the Block reveal why they went their separate ways and why they decided to come together again.

nkotbthing.com USA ITUNES 08. 13.2008 http://www.apple.com/itunes

13

nkotbthing.com USA PEOPLE 08. 14.2008 http://www.people.com

JOEL MADDEN: NICOLE'S A NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK FAN!

By David Caplan Nicole Richie may be blissfully in love with her musician beau, Good Charlotte lead vocalist Joel Madden, but romance aside, the star's musical tastes veer more toward the late '80s and early '90s, Madden has revealed.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada, airing Thursday and conducted recently at Toronto's Ultra Supper Club before Madden, 29, kicked off a deejay set, the rocker said, Richie, 26, "likes a lot of old stuff."

"She'd probably like to hear a lot of fun stuff like New Kids on the Block or Bell Biv DeVoe or something like that," he said. "She likes to have fun and listen to that stuff."

As for their 7-month-old daughter Harlow, Madden said she hasn't yet fine-tuned her musical tastes. "It really doesn't matter right now. I'll play her lullabies at home."

He added, "I'm a cool dad. I can still go out and rock and roll a bit and hang out and deejay, but I'm definitely all about my family. Family first."

As for the question on everyone's mind – When are he and Richie getting married? – Madden said, "Right now we're happy and everything is great. I'm moving at our own pace. We kind of do things our own style.

So we're happy."

nkotbthing.com USA WATCHING THE VIEW 08. 14.2008 http://www.watchingtheview.com

THE VIEW SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 1ST-5TH: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Although we still have a couple more weeks of reruns to contend with, ABC has already released the scheduled guest line-up for their first week back in September. Personally I am looking forward to the New Kids on the Block on September 2nd (as is Elisabeth Hasselbeck, no doubt). Please don’t judge me; I am still holding on to my 13-year-oldgirl love for them and I cannot help it.

Nothing stands out too much for me with the rest of the guests, except for Audrina Patridge from The Hils (and not in a good way). The only thing that I can think of is that they got a positive response when Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were on the show during Vegas week, so they thought they would get some more Hills action in.

Here is the schedule for the first week of September (Monday 9/1 is a rerun. The rest are new) MON., SEPT., 1 (OAD: 7/31/08) – Pamela Anderson (“Pam: Girl on the Loose”); musical guest Toby Keith; behind the scenes of Whoopi’s opening night in Broadway’s “Xanadu.”

TUES., SEPT., 2 – “The View” returns live for Season 12; performance from New Kids on the Block.

WED., SEPT. 3 – Maura Tierney (“E.R.” and Broadway’s “Three Changes”); Adele performs.

THUR, SEPT. 4 – Terrence Howard; Audrina Patridge (“The Hills”).

FRI., SEPT. 5 – Adrian Grenier (“Entourage”); Nicey Nash (“Do Not Disturb”)

nkotbthing.com USA KZMG MAGIC 93.1 08. 14.2008 http://www.kzmg.com

NEW KIDS TO APPEAR ON "THE VIEW" PREMIERE The ladies of "The View" are getting a visit from the New Kids on the Block. ABC has announced that the recently reunited boy band will appear on the 12th season premiere of the chat fest, Tuesday, September 2nd. The New Kids, which include Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood, will head out on tour later next month and are also set to release a new album in the fall. Other guests "The View's" Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd are expecting their first week back include "ER's" Maura Tierney, "The Hills'" Audrina Patridge and "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTB.COM 08. 15.2008 http://www.nkotb.com

nkotbthing.com USA WALMART 08. 15.2008 http://soundcheck.walmart.com/

ABOUT THE SHOW THEY’VE STILL GOT THE RIGHT STUFF. Soundcheck heads to Burbank for a performance with one of the biggest boybands ever: NKOTB.watching Donnie, Jon, Jordan, Joey and Danny take to the stage, it’s hard to believe it’s been almost fiteen years since the guys thrilled audiences all over the world, but it’s evident that they’re ready to take over the world one more time.

With their seamless harmonies, heartthrob looks and perfect pop mves, NKOTB are back –and better than ever-. The guys have an invigorating new urban sound, and a smah hit (‘summertime`) that has them back on the charts – the video has over 2 Million streams on Youtube. Check out our exciting session with NKOTB – and go pick up a copy of their new dics, “The Block” online and in Wal-.mart stores nationwide.

On New Music, New Collaborations and New Edition: We asked NKOTB about soe of the musical highlights from “The Block”. Says Joe: “it was good to be back in the studio with Teddy Ridley. Our first time around –that whole sound- that new Jack Swing was coming our and we were huge fans of it. To be back with him in the studio was cool. he wrote and produced the song, “Grown man” and we love it.” Adds Donny, we have a song with New Edition, which is like a childhood dream for us. Growing up in Boston, they were right down the street and they were stars.

They were superstars. Some of us went to the same schools as them so they really taught us to believe that you can really do something besides hang out on the streets, that you can accomplish something great.”

On The Evolution of the Fan: With its A-list production and star wattage (The Pussycats Dolls ar just one of the acts NKOTB temas up with on the new record), “The Block” is bringing a while new level of appreciation. We asked Joa about the changing face of the NKOTB fan: “our first single was a hit record amd we’re grateful for that song. I guess we’re making current music that feels right.” Explains Donny: “the five year-old, six year-old, seven year-old fans – they’re twenty-fgive year old women now. They have careers, they have lives, they’re hip, they have incredible life experiences of their own but they’re still coming back. Now the fans don’t stand out outside and scream and yell; they have rooms inside the hotel that they’ve book wih their friends! It’s humbling, it’s flattering, but it also does give you pause aout the impact we’ve had on some people.”

On Creative Vs. Corporate: “The Block” reflects a new attitude fro a group that has some experience under their belts. But this time around, the guys are doing it their way. Explains Donny: “We put a team togther who all believe what we believe, which is that this is the core of what it is. It’s not about the marketing, the people, this and that –all that goes into it and it all counts and we appreciate every aspect of the business, but the last time around it was about the corporate machine. This time, the creativity is driving us. The list of songwriters and producers and the energy and camaraderie we have with them is amazing.”

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com

z

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com

WALMART IN-STORE ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT

nkotbthing.com

08

17-20

08

nkotbthing.com USA ESPN 08 17 2008 www.sports.espn.go.com

BEST OF MIKE AND MIKE: 8/15 Celtics' co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, Ray Allen, GM Danny Ainge, Finals MVP/co-host Paul Pierce and Donnie Wahlberg reminisce about the Celtics title.

nkotbthing.com USA THE VEGAS EYE 08 17 2008 http://thevegaseye.com

WEEKEND UPDATE Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood of international sensations New Kids on the Block enjoyed dinner at Bellagio's newest Japanese joint Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant & Bar. The trio enjoyed delectable creations by celebrity chef Akira Back including signature dishes such as the tuna pizza.

nkotbthing.com UK LIFE 08 18 2008 www.life.org

DONNIE WALHBERG SERVE AS LIAM SPOKESPOERSON Singer, Actor Donnie Wahlberg Brings Right Stuff to Life Insurance Awareness Month LIFE Foundation Gears Up For Consumer Awareness Campaign in September Arlington, VA – July 11, 2008 – When he’s not touring the country this fall with the reunited New Kids on the Block, singer, actor and producer Donnie Wahlberg will serve as the front man in a national campaign to educate Americans on the importance of life insurance. As the national spokesperson for the LIFE Foundation’s fifth annual Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM) this September, Wahlberg will share his personal story and encourage millions of Americans to examine their life insurance needs.

Wahlberg’s sister, Debbie, died at the age of 44 with a 16-year-old son and no life insurance. Fortunately, Wahlberg’s nephew was taken care of thanks to a strong, extended family support system and famous uncles with the wherewithal to meet his needs. Wahlberg understands the outcome could have been far worse for many families if the head of the household died prematurely without the financial security of life insurance. His personal experience was a wake-up call to the importance of planning for the unexpected.

“My sister was taken away from us too soon. She was a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her, but like so many people, she didn’t think about the ‘what ifs,’” says Wahlberg. “When it was time for me to sit down with my advisor and set up my own financial plan, life insurance was a no-brainer. If something were to happen to me, I want to know that my loved ones will be taken care of financially. Life insurance guarantees that.”

During September, Wahlberg will encourage Americans to get the life insurance they need by conducting interviews with national television, radio and print media, and by lending his star power in a video message to be featured on LIFE’s homepage throughout the campaign. He will also help rally industry support for LIAM through a video message distributed to company representatives and producers across the country later this month. In addition, Wahlberg will deliver a speech at the annual convention of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors on September 8, 2008 in San Diego, CA. “Donnie understands first-hand what a difference life insurance can make in the event of a tragedy, but just as important, the peace of mind it provides to those who’ve purchased it in order to protect their loved ones,” says Marvin H. Feldman, CLU, ChFC, RFC, president and CEO of the LIFE Foundation. “We are thrilled to have Donnie’s help this September to encourage millions of Americans to include life insurance in their financial plan and energize the industry to make this our best LIAM yet.”

In addition to securing Wahlberg’s participation, LIFE plans to spend millions of dollars in September educating consumers about the benefits of life insurance and the importance of seeking financial advice from qualified insurance professionals. Throughout the campaign, LIFE will conduct aggressive outreach to the consumer news media with research findings and survey results, sponsor a series of radio public service announcements, and launch new, interactive features on its website and blog. LIFE’s plans also include print and online advertising, as well as the annual Newsweek realLIFEstories special section, which highlights how insurance has helped families in times of great financial and emotional need. Also in September, LIFE will announce the winners of its fourth annual LIFE Lessons scholarship program, which helps deserving young people who have experienced the death of a parent or legal guardian to realize their dream of achieving a college education.

Hundreds of insurance companies and industry trade groups participated in last year’s LIAM campaign through a wide range of marketing communications efforts. Many companies also used September as an opportunity to remind their own employees about the importance of having adequate life insurance coverage.

Organizations or individuals wishing to learn more about the campaign can click on the LIAM tab on LIFE’s website (www.lifehappens.org/liam), or contact Jon Dressner at jdressner@lifehappens.org or 202-464-5000 ext 4442.

About Life Insurance Awareness Month Life Insurance Awareness Month was created by the LIFE Foundation in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. According to LIMRA, 68 million adult Americans have no life insurance. Those who own life insurance have an average of four times their annual income in coverage, which is considerably less than most experts recommend. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort involving hundreds of leading companies and tens of thousands of agents.

About LIFE The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in 1994 in response to the public’s growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.lifehappens.org.

nkotbthing.com UK NEW KIDS ARE BACK 08 18 2008 http://newkidsareback.com/

nkotbthing.com USA PEOPLE 08 18 2008 www.people.com

Breakups

DONNIE WAHLBERG AND HIS WIFE FILE FOR DIVORCE

By Ken Lee Donnie Wahlberg and his wife, Kim Fey, both filed for divorce on Aug. 13, court documents in Los Angeles and Ventura County, Calif. show.

Citing irreconcilable differences, Fey is seeking sole physical and legal custody of their two sons – Xavier, 15 and Elijah, 7 – with visitation rights for Wahlberg.

Fey, 39, is also seeking spousal support and attorney's fees from the New Kids on the Block singer, also 39. It wasn't immediately clear what terms Wahlberg is seeking.

The estranged couple were married in August 1999 and separated in January.

Kim Fey and Donnie Wahlberg, in November 2007 Photo by: Brian Babineau / NBAE / Getty

A rep for Wahlberg told PEOPLE, "The couple has been separated for some time now and remain friends."

nkotbthing.com USA CHINA DAILY 08 18 2008 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

NKOTB'S BECKHAM LOVE New Kids on the Block have revealed they love Victoria Beckham. The recently reformed US boyband admit they have a special fondness for their British fans and singer Donnie Wahlberg says he has a crush on former Spice Girls singer Victoria Beckham.

He said: "Victoria Beckham just does it for me. She's a cutie. But I rate her husband, so I don't want to say anything out of line!"

Donnie's bandmate Jordan Knight also said he found the band were allowed to be more sexually liberated when they visited the UK on previous tours. He said: "Every time we went to Britain, we felt looser, could say different things, talk about cooler stuff." Singer Joey McIntyre added: "We could be randier - we could be 19 or 20-year-old guys instead of squeaky clean pop stars.

Joey McInytre, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood (L-R) of the U.S. band 'New Kids On The Block' pose during a photo call in Munich July 9, 2008. The band, who have reunited after 14 years, are promoting their new single 'Summertime' which will be released in Germany August 29. [Agencies]

People are more open in the UK. The fact that you can open page three in the newspaper and there's a topless girl - that kind of sets the tone." The band - made up of Jordan, Joey, Donnie, Danny Wood and Jordan's brother Jonathan Knight - say it wasn't just the rudeness displayed by fans they appreciated but also their charm. Donnie added: "British fans are the most frenetic, funny, witty - very unlike America. You're being swarmed by 20,000 girls, and a fan in London will say, 'Donnie, when you sang that song, it meant a lot to me', while ripping your clothes off. It's charming."

nkotbthing.com USA TMZ 08 18 2008 www.tmz.com

DONNIE WAHLBERG CAUGHT PARTYING WITH KIDS Lucky for Donnie Wahlberg, New Kids on the Block fans are now old enough to get into bars.

Donnie's 39th bday bash landed at Jet Nightclub last night at the Mirage in Las Vegas -- where Berg, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood all celebrated like adults.

YOU ARE WATCHING:

NEW KID, OLD PROBLEM

nkotbthing.com USA TMZ 08 18 2008 www.tmz.com

PHOTOS DONNIE WAHLBERG'S BIRTHDAY

nkotbthing.com USA AGENCIES 08 18 2008

nkotbthing.com USA POPMUSICSCENE 08 18 2008 www.popmusicscene.com

NKOTB MAKING THE VIDEO "SINGLE" PICTURES

by DEXIE NKOTB and Ne-Yo went to Vegas to film the video for “Single” and of course, we have some of the pictures from the set. Start drooling ladies. The guys look fantastic in their “Rat Pack” styles.

By the way, did you know Donnie Wahlberg is newly “single”? :). I can’t wait to see the whole video.

New Kids on the Block filming a music video inside Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada. The boys are back, looking a bit like the 'Rat Pack' as they enjoy singing their new single and sipping on some fake cocktails while flirting with the girls on the set in the video.

Pictured: New Kids on the Block Picture by: Brian Prahl / Splash News

nkotbthing.com USA AP 08 18 2008 http://ap.google.com

DONNIE WAHLBERG AND WIFE FILE FOR DIVORCE LOS ANGELES (AP) — Donnie Wahlberg and his wife are calling it quits after nearly nine years of marriage.

Wahlberg and his wife, Kim Fey Wahlberg, each filed for divorce last Wednesday in separate counties in the Los Angeles area, court records show.

Kim Wahlberg cited "irreconcilable differences" in her filings in Los Angeles Superior Court. Donnie Wahlberg's petition was filed in Ventura County.

The couple were married in August 1999 and separated earlier this year.

The move comes as Wahlberg, 39, prepares to tour with a reunited New Kids on the Block and appears on the big screen in "Righteous Kill," which will be released on Sept. 12.

The former couple have two sons, ages 15 and 7.

In this Sept. 22, 2002 file photo, actor Donnie Wahlberg arrives with his wife Kim at the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch, file)

nkotbthing.com USA ACCESS HOLLYWOOD 08 18 2008 http://www.accesshollywood.com

DONNIE WAHLBERG’S WIFE FILES FOR DIVORCE LOS ANGELES, Calif. -Donnie Wahlberg’s wife has filed for divorce after nearly nine years of marriage, according to court papers obtained by Access Hollywood.

Kim Wahlberg has cited “irreconcilable differences” with the bad boy New Kid on the Block, according to court documents filed on August 13 with the Los Angeles Superior Court. Kim is seeking custody of the couple’s two sons, Alexander, 15, and Elijah, 7.

The couple has been separated since January 16, 2008. Their ninth wedding anniversary falls on Wednesday.

The divorce papers follow a celebratory weekend for Donnie, who partied at Las Vegas nightclub Jet on Saturday with fellow New Kids Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood for his 39th birthday.

The grown-up boy band made a comeback earlier this year, performing again together for the first time since 1994 and prepping a new album, “The Block,” for release on Sept. 2, with a world tour to follow starting Sept. 18.

Copyright 2008 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08 19 2008 www.nkotb.com

LONG ISLAND/NY IN-STORE ADDED 9/3/08!

LONG ISLAND, NY SEPTEMBER 3RD AT 7PM WAL-MART 2465 HEMPSTEAD TURNPIKE EAST MEADOW, NY 11554 (516) 579-6769 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK WILL BE SIGNING COPIES OF THE CD “THE BLOCK” (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE)

nkotbthing.com USA BOSTON 08 19 2008 www.boston.com

BROWN'S GOLDEN TOUCH When you're hot, you're hot. Bobby Brown, whose new CMT reality show, "Outsiders Inn," debuted last week, will light up the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden with Keith Sweat, KRS-One, and Rakim on Oct. 2. The show's called, appropriately, Retro Jam 2008. And speaking of retro, Brown has not ruled out joining in the New Edition/New Kids on the Block fun at some point. "I'd love to come back to Boston and perform with them," he told us last week. "It's still the same work and it's still the same business we started in 25 years ago. But it's a lot more fun now, because

WE'RE OLDER AND WE HAVE OUR SOLID, BASE CROWD." 39 YEARS YOUNG FOR WAHLBERG Not-so-New Kid Donnie Wahlberg was among friends as he celebrated his 39th birthday the other night at Jet, a nightclub at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Wahlberg, whose band kicks off its reunion tour Sept. 18 in Toronto, hoisted a big bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne. Making the scene were bandmates Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre, who was with wife Barrett.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08 19 2008 www.nkotb.com

LONG ISLAND/NY IN-STORE ADDED 9/3/08!

LONG ISLAND, NY SEPTEMBER 3RD AT 7PM WAL-MART 2465 HEMPSTEAD TURNPIKE EAST MEADOW, NY 11554 (516) 579-6769 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK WILL BE SIGNING COPIES OF THE CD “THE BLOCK” (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE)

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08 20 2008 www.nkotb.com

UPCOMING TV APPEARANCES! REMEMBER TO CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR AIRINGS!

TODAY SHOW COURTYARD PERFORMANCE - LIVE SEPTEMBER 1ST THE VIEW - LIVE SEPTEMBER 2ND CNN SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - SEPTEMBER 3RD MTV’S TOTAL REQUEST LIVE - SEPTEMBER 4TH CW11/NYC MORNING SHOW - LIVE SEPTEMBER 5TH FOX & FRIENDS - SEPTEMBER 9TH VH1 NKOTB SPECIAL - SEPTEMBER 28TH NKOTB IN STORE AT HMV LONDON - UK! NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK WILL PERFORM LIVE AT THE HMV STORE ON OXFORD ST, LONDON ON SEPTEMBER 8TH AT 1PM! AFTER, THEY WILL ANSWER FAN QUESTIONS AND SIGN COPIES OF THEIR CD “THE BLOCK”.

THE ADDRESS IS: HMV 150 OXFORD STREET LONDON, W1D1DJ THE OFFICIAL UK NKOTB SITE IS GIVING AWAY 3 PAIRS OF TICKETS. REGISTER TO WIN!

nkotbthing.com UK INTERSCOPE RECORDS 08 20 2008 http://www.interscope.com

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK UK UPDATE For all our UK fans, you can pre order 'SUMMERTIME' and 'THE BLOCK' at the following links below:

'Summertime' out on 1st September

'The Block' is out on 8th September

New Kids on the Block will perform live at the HMV Store on Oxford St, London on September 8th at 1PM! After, they will answer fan questions and sign copies of their CD "The Block".

HMV 150 Oxford Street London, W1D1DJ THE OFFICIAL UK NKOTB SITE, www.newkidsareback.com, is giving away 3 pairs of tickets. Register to win!

nkotbthing.com UK DIGITAL SPY 08 20 2008 http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/

NEW KIDS REVEAL FIRST UK SHOW IN 15 YEARS

By Alex Fletcher, Entertainment Reporter RexFeatures New Kids On The Block have revealed details of their first UK show in 15 years.

The reformed American boyband will perform at HMV Oxford Circus on Monday, September 8 at 1pm.

Jordan, Joey, Jonathan, Donnie and Danny will play three songs and sign copies for their new LP The Block at the in-store event.

New Kids On The Block sold over 70 million albums during the '80s and early '90s. Their hits included 'Step By Step', 'Cover Girl' and 'You Got It (The Right Stuff)'.

nkotbthing.com USA HEAT WORLD 08.20.2008 www.heatworld.com

NKOTB ANNOUNCE FIRST UK APPEARANCE IN 15 YEARS! SCREAM! Any former Blockettes out there?

Well, you might want to dig out your Joey McIntyre pillowcase, because New Kids On The Block have just announced their first UK performance in more than 15 years. We’ve been keeping one eye on the boys’ comeback from across the pond (we’ve got very good eyesight) and are rather impressed by their new single Summertime, so we’re very excited that they’re coming to London on Monday 8 September. Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jon and Jordan will take to the stage at HMV on Oxford Street to perform three songs, answer questions from fans and sign copies of their new album The Block (did it take them 15 years to come up with that title?!).

You can click here for all the info, once you’ve stopped stroking your computer screen – as this new picture shows, they’re still rather fit.

But whether they look as well-preserved in the flesh remains to be seen – and there’s only one way to find out…

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08 21 2008 EMAIL

PRE-ORDER THE BLOCK FROM THE OFFICIAL NKOTB WEBSTORE & PICK-UP AN EXCLUSIVE T-SHIRT The Block To go along with our upcoming release, "The Block", we are offering a webstore exclusive tee which is only available when you pre-order the Standard or the Deluxe version of "The Block" in the Official NKOTB Webstore. We will begin shipping the Friday before release so be sure to place your order today as quantities are limited! Click here for all the details.

BE SURE TO CATCH NKOTB PERFORM LIVE FROM THE TODAY SHOW COURTYARD, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR AIRINGS. Visit NKOTB.com for tour dates, news and exclusive content.

nkotbthing.com USA LIFE HAPPENS 08 21 2008 www.lifehappens.org

nkotbthing.com USA THE BILLBOARD 08 21 2008 www.lifehappens.org

22

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08 22 2008 www.nkotb.com

NKOTB RINGTONES ‘THE BLOCK’ PREVIEW @ AT&T! DYING TO HEAR THE NEW ALBUM? PREVIEW CLIPS FROM “THE BLOCK” AND PURCHASE ANY AND ALL RINGTONES FROM THE ALBUM EARLY AND ONLY AT AT&T!

nkotbthing.com

08

21-31

08

nkotbthing.com USA AMAZON 08.25.2008 www.amazon.com

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF NKOTB FEATURING THE SONG “SINGLE” FROM THE NEW ALBUM THE BLOCK

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com USA VH1 08.26.2008 www.blog.vh1.com

WIN A TRIP TO SEE THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK IN CONCERT AND HAVE A MEET & GREET! Jon, Jordan, Donnie, Joey and Danny are back, and it’s pretty obvious that their audience couldn’t be more excited. That’s why we’re offering the most zealous New Kids on the Block fans a chance to prove themselves. If you make the cut we will fly you and a friend — four friends if you win the Boston trip — to not only see the guys in concert, but meet them as well.

We want to hear the most unique, craziest, die-hard fan story ever. The New Kids “Ultimate Fan” Contest is a show & tell deal, we are asking you to send in pictures that explain the depth of your NKOTB love. They could be shots from the group’s initial heyday (see the above example). They could be shots from last week. Along with the pictures, we need to hear your story that proves you are the Ultimate NKOTB fan! A panel of VH1.com employees will choose the winners based on the most unique and ultimate fan story received.

Steps to enter (after the jump): 1. Read our Official Rules and User Content Submission Agreement for the New Kids on the Block “Ultimate Fan” Contest.

2. Submit an email to NKOTB@vh1.com with your photo, name, (names if it’s a group shot), telephone number where you can be reached if you are the winner, and a BRIEF description of the craziest thing they ever did as New Kids fan.

3. Your email must also include the following language. Copy and Paste this into your email to us. “I am affirming my agreement to, and eligibility under, the Terms of Use and the User Content Submission Agreement and am confirming that I own the uploaded content, or have all rights to upload the content, have the right to grant the rights I am granting in the Terms of Use and User Content Submission Agreement to display, distribute and otherwise exploit the uploaded content and that my submission of the content does not otherwise violate the Terms of Use and the User Content Submission Agreement.”

Four sets of winners will be chosen to receive VIP tickets to the New Kids shows in four separate cities. If you win the Boston trip you get to bring four friends to the New Kids hometown show. We are giving away tickets to the following show dates: Boston on 9/28, Las Vegas on 10/11, New York on 10/27, Seattle on 11/22.

• • •

Submissions must be 50 words or less.

You must be 21 or over to win.

Users can only enter once.

Get all the New Kids on the Block tour dates.

Get complete New Kids on the Block artist information.

Watch New Kids on the Block videos.

nkotbthing.com USA HOT 99,5 08.26.2008 www.995.com

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08.26.2008 www.nkotb.com

DONNIE BLOGGIN’ YOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

ALBUM DROPPING 1 WEEK- CHECK! TODAY SHOW IN 1 WEEK- CHECK! TOUR IN 3 1/2 WEEKS- CHECK! FACE TIME- CHECK CHECK CHECK!!!!!

IT IS TIME TO GET YOUR MIND RIGHT FOR THE PARTY THAT IS COMING YOUR WAY!!!!

ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU READY????

YOU AINT READY……

GET READY!!!!!!!

GET READY!!!!!!!!

THE ALBUM THE TOUR THE LOVE THE FACE TIME…..

THIS ENTIRE YEAR…..

IS ALL FOR YOU!!!!!

PS- I EXPECT A LOT OF HUGS!!!!

PSS- I AM SO F@#*+$G FIRED UP FOR THIS FALL!!!!!

AS ALWAYS- YOUR MAN!!!! ~DONNIE W

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08.26.2008 www.nkotb.com

JOEY CHECKIN’ IN… THREE WEEKS AWAY FROM THE TOUR AND I STILL HAVEN’T SOLD THE GUYS ON THE ROCKETTES. DANNY IS ON THE FENCE, SO THAT’S A START. AH, SHOW BIZ. -JM

nkotbthing.com UK YOUTUBE UK 08.27.2008 http://uk.youtube.com

LEAKED MUSIC TO YOU MOST VIEWED: THE BLOCK TRACKS

nkotbthing.com UK TELEGRAPH 08.27.2008 www.telegrahp.co.uk

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: BOYS TO MEN Fourteen years since they split up New Kids on the Block are back with a new album and tour. Bryony Gordon meets them in Los Angeles So this is how childhood dreams are shattered. You fly all the way to Los Angeles to meet the band who provided the soundtrack to your adolescence, the people who performed in the first concert you attended, the men who gave you knots in your tummy and first made you aware of the concept of romance – and you end up talking to them about the credit crunch.

New Kids on the Block: Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg and Jonathan Knight

Jon Knight, one fifth of former teen-pop sensations New Kids on the Block, wants to know about house prices in London. In Boston, where he has worked as a real estate agent since the group disbanded 14 years ago – leaving a trail of broken hearts – they are still astronomical, despite the economic downturn.

A two-bed flat, even in the rough end of town, will cost half a million dollars. But he is worried that things are changing. He recently made a loss on a property. He sighs. I sigh.

That's the problem with reunions. Often, nothing is ever quite as good as you remember, and then, with hindsight, you wonder whether they were ever that good in the first place. It is now 20 years since five

nkotbthing.com band and "refuses to play with me because he doesn't do pop". On tour, they won't be sitting on stools but nor will they be breakdancing on their heads – they tried their new moves the day before this interview and are feeling it when we meet.

clean-cut Boston teenagers burst on to the scene with a catchy R&B-pop crossover song called The Right Stuff.

Taken on by producer Maurice Starr, who also created New Edition, they went on to sell 70 million albums and tour for 200 nights of each year. There was New Kids on the Block bed linen, lunch boxes and dolls – all of which I think I owned. There was a Saturday morning cartoon in their likeness, and Nintendo even made a computer game of them.

Take That were created as a British version of the band.

Without the New Kids, there would be no Backstreet Boys or *NSync, and thus very possibly no Justin Timberlake. While you may not thank them for that legacy, a trillion girls would, and even now, when I mention that I am going to interview them, friends of both genders who should know better burst into versions of Hangin' Tough and Step By Step, two of their biggest singles.

And here they are, on a blisteringly hot California morning, worrying about the credit crunch but mostly, it must be said, rehearsing for a new tour of the States which sold out within moments of going on sale. I present them, in slightly stalkerish fashion, with a programme from a past tour and Jon Knight, his brother Jordan, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood fall around in a mixture of giggles and embarrassment.

They wonder why they are wearing eyeshadow, and perms, and trousers above their waists, but Donnie, in one picture wearing a pair of boxers on his head, says their costumes "were about as out of control as it got. There were some alcoholic beverages, some wild parties with girls, but that's all good, healthy stuff, isn't it?"

"I don't think, when these pictures were taken," says Jordan, "that any of us were mentally able to grab hold of anything. It was nuts. With that kind of success comes a lot of intensity. It was a blast because we were, what?, 15, 16, 17. But at the age you do need a few moments to yourself."

"And also," says Joey, "it was always kind of frustrating because the fans were usually about 12 and I couldn't do anything. Now they are legal – they have rooms in the hotel that they have paid for with their credit cards whereas before they were all waiting outside – but I'm attached with a baby and I still can't do anything about it. " Indeed, a lot has changed since the high-waisted trousers and the perms. They have aged well but it is impossible not to cringe at the New Kids moniker. Donnie and Danny have children of the age they were when they started in the group – Donnie's 16-year-old son plays guitar in a death-metal

The music industry, too, is a different beast. I bought their first album on vinyl but now it is rare to meet someone who buys CDs. "The lifespan of an artist is about as fast as it takes to log on to the internet," says Danny. They are aware that if they were starting out now, they would probably have to take part in a television talent show to make it, "and that's quite difficult," says Donnie, who admits to a bizarre passion for "that Paul Potts dude [who won last year's Britain's Got Talent]. But maybe we would actually have been more popular now, because the music business is predominantly made up of what we were always accused of being – manufactured."

That is perhaps the reason for their reunion. It has absolutely nothing to do with the success of Take That, obviously. "Ha! No," says Jordan. "I handed over the flame to them back in the Nineties at the Smash Hits awards, when I presented them with the best band statue or something. We're in cahoots with them. We call them up and say, 'You're touring this year? OK, we'll do the next one.'"

Another possible motivation for getting back together is that none of them have exactly set the charts alight since they parted ways – amicably – in 1994. Jordan and Joey released albums that hit the American top 10 but quickly disappeared; Joey went on to feature in the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, while Jordan appeared in a series of reality shows including Five's Trust Me, I'm a Holiday Rep, alongside Jodie Marsh and Syd Little ("Syd was my favourite; I'd like it if he came to see us when the tour reaches England").

Danny was part of Upper Street, MTV UK's much mocked attempt at relaunching former boy-band members as one new group – he tells me that we drink too much in Britain. The only two who have had any real professional success are Jon, with his real estate company, and Donnie, who has attempted to follow in the acting footsteps of his brother Mark Wahlberg with roles in The Sixth Sense and Band of Brothers.

Their new material, mostly penned by Wahlberg, and featuring collaborations with Ne-Yo and their old producer Teddy Riley, is catchy enough, perfectly attuned to the current Timberlake style of R&B-inflected pop, which, in a funny way, they created. It will do well because they have a loyal fan-base hungry for nostalgia; a fan-base who were, frankly, never that musically discerning in the first place – as long as there were hip thrusts and a vague tune, we were happy.

But they are clearly passionate about what they have created, and it is endearing. "We wanted to invite our fans back to the table and if anyone else wants to join us they can," says Donnie. "But we're not here to have a party with people who don't like us. It wouldn't make sense for me to walk past you to get to two people who were never into us."

And with that, all talk of the credit crunch is almost forgiven.

New Kids on the Block's new album, 'Block' (Interscope), is released on Monday.

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 28.08.2008 www.nkotb.com

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 28.08.2008 EMAIL

CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF "THE BLOCK" AND MEET THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK AT THESE LOCATIONS! BURBANK, CA August 28th at 7pm Best Buy 1501 N Victory Pl Burbank, CA 91502 (818) 845-5121

East Meadow, NY 11554 (516) 579-6769 New Kids on the Block will be signing copies of the CD "The Block" (LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE)

BOSTON, MA Pre-Purchase the New Kids on the Block CD "The Block" and you wil l receive a special pass to attend the autograph signing! (Limited Space Available) PRESALE BEGINS AT 10AM ON 8/28 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

NEW YORK CITY, NY September 2nd at 6:30pm ** THE BLOCK RELEASE DAY** Best Buy 529 5th Ave # A New York, NY 10017 (212) 808-0309 Purchase the New Kids on the Block CD "The Block" and you wil l receive a special pass to attend the autograph signing! (Limited Space Available) PASS DISTRIBUTION BEGINS AT 10AM ON 9/2 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

September 6th at 1pm Newbury Comics ** GRAND OPENING** Faneuil Hall Marketplace North Market Building Boston, MA 02109 (617) 248-9992 Purchase the New Kids on the Block CD "The Block" and you wil l receive a special pass to attend the autograph signing! (Limited Space Available) PASS DISTRIBUTION BEGINS AT 8AM ON 9/6 AT THIS LOCATION ONLY

HMV, LONDON, UK September 8th at 1PM 150 Oxford Street London, W1D1DJ

LONG ISLAND, NY September 3rd at 7pm Wal-Mart 2465 Hempstead Turnpike

New Kids on the Block will perform live at the HMV Store on Oxford St, London on September 8th at 1PM! After, they will answer fan questions and sign copies of their CD "The Block"

BE SURE TO CATCH NKOTB PERFORM LIVE FROM THE TODAY SHOW COURTYARD, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST! CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR AIRINGS

nkotbthing.com CANADA FLUID LOUNGE FACEBOOK 08.28.2008 www.facebook.com/event

THE OFFICIAL AFTER SHOW PARTY HOSTED BY: DONNIE WAHLBERG IT'S ON @ FLUID LOUNGE Informacion Información del Evento equipo anfitrión: FLUID Weekly Events!

Tipo: Fiesta - Fiesta de club Hora y Lugar Hora de Inicio: Domingo, 21 de septiembre de 2008 a las 22:00 Terminado: Lunes, 22 de septiembre de 2008 a las 3:00 Ubicación: Fluid Lounge 217 Richmond Street West Ciudad/Pueblo: Toronto, ON Descripción SUNDAY SEPT 21ST 2008 FLUID LOUNGE PRESENTS: THE OFFICIAL AFTER SHOW PARTY HOSTED BY: DONNIE WAHLBERG! FLUID LOUNGE – 217 RICHMOND STREET WEST MUSIC BY: CHRISTOPHER MICHAELS MASTER OF CEREMONY: DEVO BROWN DOORS OPEN AT: 10 PM DRESS CODE: STRICT TICKETS: LIMITED - $20.00 @ THE DOOR Fluid Lounge 217 Richmond Street West Toronto Ontario M5V 1W2 tel: 416.593.6116 http://www.fluidlounge.ca http://www.myspace.com/fluidlounge info@fluidlounge.ca

nkotbthing.com CANADA CTV.CA 08.28.2008 www.ctv1.ctv.ca

The Block - D

nkotbthing.com USA KISS 108 08.29.2008 http://www.kiss108.com/main.html

nkotbthing.com USA BOSTON GLOBE 08.29.2008 www.boston.com/ae

BACK ON THE BLOCK BOSTON'S REUNITED BOY BAND TRIES ITS LUCK WITH NEW ALBUM OUT TUESDAY MANSFIELD - The New Kids on the Block are wrestling. This is not archival footage from the late '80s or early '90s of the teen-pop heartthrobs as frisky youngsters airing on a TV screen. This is the freshly reunited group of fully grown men live and in person . . . putting one another in headlocks.

It isn't entirely clear if they are mugging for the photographer snapping a few shots backstage at the annual Kiss 108 summer concert or just, you know, wrestling, like men who've known one another since grade school are prone to do.

"When we found out we were going to do [the Kiss concert], I was just tickled pink. Because there's just so much history here for us," Joey McIntyre says during an early morning group interview after the body slams have subsided.

Indeed, the quintet played the hometown radio show several times during its "Hangin' Tough" heyday, back when the superstars hawked lunch boxes, set young girls swooning, and sold 70 million albums. The New Kids were slated to return to the show before the members amicably parted ways in 1994 as exhausted and rich 20-somethings eager to explore life beyond synchronized choreography.

"We felt like if we did that show, it was going to open up another whole chapter and we just decided to close it there," says McIntyre, who's still babyfaced at 35 and takes pains to point out that only he is tickled pink and that Danny Wood would never use such a phrase.

Wood, who at 39 has morphed into the group's most muscle-bound and tattooed member, laughs and shakes his head in agreement. "The best thing for me," pipes up Jordan Knight, retaining his resident dreamboat status at 38, "is that my son's going to be able to come and see what his daddy does onstage in our hometown."

Knight's son isn't the only one curious about NKOTB version 2.0. Since announcing its reunion on the "To day" show this spring, the group has booked a soldout arena tour - with stops at the TD Banknorth Garden on Sept. 26 and 28 - and watched its comeback single, the breezy "Summertime," hit the Top 40.

On Tuesday, the quintet will release "The Block," its first album of new material since 1994's ill-fated "Face the Music." The second single - a silky, ultracontemporary club jam called "Single" featuring hotshot songwriter-performer Ne-Yo - began its chart ascent (at No. 86) last week.

Clad in muted blacks and grays - later they will change into sharp black suits and, eventually, Celtics jerseys for the show - the men sit on a couch backstage, completely at ease both with one another and back in the center of the maelstrom. When McIntyre reports that there have been no big arguments since the reunion began nearly a year ago, Jonathan Knight immediately barks playfully "Shut up!" (It's one of the very rare instances in which the 39-year-old "quiet one" voluntarily speaks during the interview, although he, like the others, does much nodding and laughing.)

Even though a successful reunion required all five members, the unspoken leader of the newly reformed group is clearly Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg was the chief contributing songwriter on "The Block," financed the start of its recording, and was the driving force after years of being the primary holdout.

Some have wondered why Wahlberg would choose this moment to return to the fold when his acting resume has blossomed to include roles in such critically acclaimed big and small-screen projects as "Band of Brothers," "Boomtown," the upcoming film "Righteous Kill" with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and the commercially successful "Saw" franchise. Wahlberg, who exudes a funny combination of round-the-way earnestness and rebel bluster, is not a fan of this skepticism.

nkotbthing.com "If people think that I'm that smart and that talented and that great, why would you then turn around and discredit what I did before?" he asks with a touch of exasperation detectable behind his shades. "It's not like I have a chip on my shoulder, but it probably did fuel me a little bit. In other words, I didn't gloat. I never felt like, 'Yeah, right on, I'm great and the New Kids aren't.' It was more like I'm that same guy from the New Kids. And if you think I'm a hard worker and really talented now, why would you think I was a complete idiot at the age of 21?"

Everyone cracks up at this, even Wahlberg, remembering the easily documented idiocy of his youth. "In some ways I was," he says with a wry smile. "But I still had the same instincts and drive and passion, and part of me does want to show that to people. That this is not a mistaken footnote in my career, it's a big part of it and it means a lot to me. And I'd like to redefine this for a lot of people, what the New Kids was."

Wahlberg's passion was not lost on the heavyhitters the group enlisted to relaunch the brand, including the management company of industry veteran Irving Azoff (Eagles, Christina Aguilera), producers like Timbaland and Polow Da Don, and Interscope Records. (Wahlberg, in fact, gave the label its first million-seller as the songwriterproducer behind his brother's group, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. "A little ditty called 'Good Vibrations,' maybe you've heard of it," jokes McIntyre.)

Kierszenbaum was particularly impressed with Wahlberg's business acumen and songwriting. "He had a great sense for melody and he would pick great collaborators," he says of "Block" co-writers and producers such as Akon, Nelly, Teddy Riley, RedOne, and longtime group friend Eman Kiriakou.

"Anybody who scoffed or wasn't really interested we didn't really try to twist their arms. We just said, OK, we'll go on to something else because we believe in it," says Wahlberg. And the members say there was plenty of scoffing, from producers to choreographers to bodyguards who didn't want to be associated with the credibility-challenged former boy band.

Above: The New Kids perform at the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto in June. Below, from left: Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, and Jonathan Knight in their teen-idol heyday. (Malcolm Taylor/Getty Images (above); Robin Platzer/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

"We're still young and we're still very in touch with what's going on music-wise," says Jordan Knight, who also released a solo album with the label. "So we wanted to be teamed up with a company that's at the top of their game and who has a radio staff and a promotions staff and knows what they're doing."

"Yeah, there was some snickering, but the more people got exposed to them, the snickers were going away," says Kierszenbaum, a guilt-free New Kids fan.

"And there's a lot less snickering now, now that Madison Square Garden is sold out."

"We're investing a lot in this: time, energy, and resources," says Martin Kierszenbaum, president of A&R for Interscope. "There's a lot of things to do in this world. And we wouldn't be doing that if we didn't believe in them long-term."

"There's always the possibility that someone who has had that lightning success will capture interest with a reunion," says Geoff Mayfield, director of charts and senior analyst at Billboard magazine. He expects "The Block" to score well out of the gate. "It's not going to ship a Lil Wayne number, but it's going to ship a

nkotbthing.com They agree that "Summertime" was a little too cutesy and retro for 2008: "I was happy to hear new music, but I was like, really, can we do something a little more progressive?"

Carlton says with a laugh.

But they give the thumbsup to the sleeker "Single" and think it bodes well for the album as a whole. "If they're trying to get a broader audience than what their fanbase was the first time around, I think that's probably the way to do it," says Carlton.

Although they giggle about their "dorkaliciousness," neither woman feels any shame about their resurfacing New Kids love.

"They were such an important part of our lives in that time period that I've never been embarrassed about it," says Lomen, who as an Emerson student in the mid-'90s went on a guided tour of the guys' homes and Wahlberg's favorite Stop & Shop thanks to a local friend. "I never felt the need to justify something that was important to me."

From left: Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, and Jonathan Knight of the New Kids on the Block. (Globe Photo/Erik Jacobs)

respectable number for today's marketplace. And that puts them in good shape to at least debut top 10, probably top five if they have the kind of sell-through that I think they're going to." But in order for the band to avoid the slide that most reuniting acts face, Mayfield says, "It's got to connect and if someone thinks you're just doing something just to do it, it won't work."

So far it's working for fans Alexis Lomen and Kim Carlton, both 31, of St. Paul, Minn. The women have been comically documenting their excitement about the New Kids reunion on the blog Project NKOTB. They plan to attend at least four shows on the tour and were in the throng of nearly 8,000 who mobbed a recent appearance by the guys at a Best Buy in the Mall of America.

That pride, says Wahlberg, is the ultimate goal for him and his band. "It would be nice when this is all said and done if we could look back at this second incarnation and say, 'That was cool, that was a great album, and a great tour,' " Wahlberg says. "And it would be nice if the fans could do that, too, and say, 'You know what? We weren't dumb kids after all. We really invested our time and our love and our energy into something that was worth it.' "

nkotbthing.com UK DAILY RECORD 08.29.2008 www.dailyrecord.co.uk

THE RIGHT STUFF Aug 29 2008 By Rick Fulton

Razz Pop Exclusive New Kids Reckon They Still Have What It Takes To Make A Return To The Big Time THEY may not be very new any more and are three decades from being children but New Kids On The Block are back and causing quite a stir.

Sinking their own cash into the comeback is already paying dividends for the group, who, back in the Eighties, kickstarted the rise of boybands began by The Monkees in the Sixties and reaching a peak in the Nineties with Take That, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

Before the comeback, they went into the studio and recorded tracks with acts like Ne-Yo, Akon, Pussycat Dolls and Timbaland before they felt that the new music lived up to they hype of a comeback. So why now? Donnie shrugged: "There's no real answer to why it's the right time. I think the right trigger occurred this time, which is the music.

"Leaping back into this for the sole purpose of making money or for nostalgia purposes wouldn't resolve any of my issues in my music life. "There's a certain satisfaction I get as an actor that I hadn't achieved in my music life.

Two weeks after announcing their first US arena tour in nearly 15 years, the band, Donnie Wahlberg, brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood, have sold more than 300,000 tickets, selling out additional shows at a rate of 6000 tickets a day. Their first New York date sold out in just six minutes, Toronto in four minutes and a string of home town gigs in Boston in under 10 minutes.

With some arm twisting, you could have got most of the guys to do it, but I don't think you could have got all of us to do it without music, and I certainly wasn't going to go down that road.

On Monday, they release new single Summertime in the UK with album The Block out on August 8.

While the band, who had a string of hits such as Hangin' Tough, You Got It (The Right Stuff) and Cover Girl, are back, they are thrilled that they've re-connected with the fans, who are now grown-up and many now have kids of their own.

While divorced father-of-two Donnie, 39, has become a successful actor, Jordan Knight, 38, who is married with two kids, had minor solo success with his 1999 single Give It To You. His brother Jonathan, a 39-year-old bachelor, turned his back on fame and became a real estate developer, admitting on the Oprah show he was clinically depressed after the band split.

Donnie, who turned actor after the band split in 1994 and starred in films like The Sixth Sense and TV epic Band Of Brothers, admitted: "The true partnership in this reunion is not really us, it's us and the fans.

"We put up our own money to do this. We made a big commitment, but we needed our partners to come along, and that's the fans. They've put their faith in us to come back and do this the right way."

It's not the first time a reunion has been mooted. Back in 1999 MTV tried to get them back for the VMA, but Jonathan refused and in 2004 Joey, Danny and Donnie refused to reform for VH1's Bands Reunited.

But with Take That's comeback and the Spice Girls' worldwide tour, the band that started the dominance of boybands in the late Eighties, seemed an obvious moneyspinner.

The band were formed in Boston in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr as a white version of New Edition. The group was built around a then 15-year old Donnie, who built things up with his brother and his friends.

While New Kids were manufactured, this time around they wanted to do things on their terms.

"I just know that, to walk away from what I was doing, it has to be for the right reasons. It has to be enjoyable."

The youngest kid in the band Joey McIntyre, now 35, has balanced Broadway success in shows such as Wicked with solo albums. He's married and had his first child last year.

Finally there is 39-year-old Danny Wood, a divorced dad of four, who has had little solo success and even tried to create a new band with Dane Bowers from Another Level, Bradley McIntosh of S Club 7, Lee Latchford-Evans of Steps and Jimmy Constable of 911 for the MTV show Totally Boyband.

The subsequent band Upper Street's debut single The One charted at No.35 and the band soon split.

Like Take That, a reunion for most of New Kids couldn't come at a better time.

The first gig on their comeback tour is on September 18 in Toronto with UK gigs pencilled in for next year.

Although Donnie loves the fact the screaming girls, who are now calm mums, now invite the boys for a drink in the hotel bar rather than trying to get into their rooms, he does have regrets.

He said: "I have less hair now, but it's a good thing, because I had too much then. I wasn't sure what to do with it and one of my big regrets is looking at those hair dos."

nkotbthing.com USA ENTERTAIMENT WEEKLY 08.28.2008 www.ew.com

MUSIC REVIEW

THE BLOCK (2008) New Kids on the Block CBy Nicholas Fonseca

THEY'RE BAAAACK The Kids come back — or at least try to. David Atlas / Retna Ltd.

As if desperate to shed the boy band stigma and prove they're now men, New Kid's on the Block's new collection of committee-crafted tracks The Block bears no distinguishing marks aside from a compulsion for sex, sex, sex with a lover whose name, apparently, is Girl. Breezy single ''Summertime'' aside, it's all vaguely icky: ''Grown Man'' features the Pussycat Dolls chirping ''Do you like my body?/Do you think that I'm a hottie?'' while ''Lights, Camera, Action'' vapidly celebrates videotaped nookie. C-

nkotbthing.com USA KTLA 08.29.2008 www.youtube.com

nkotbthing.com USA MSNB TODAY SHOW 2008 08 29 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041478/

FANS LINE UP FOR KNOTB

nkotbthing.com USA E! NEWS SPECIAL 2008.08.29 http://fr.eonline.com/videos_Day_for_the_New_Kids.html

A NEW DAY FOR THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08.29.2008 www.nkotb.com

VIDEO BLOG FROM REHEARSAL! Part 1!

nkotbthing.com USA NKOTBCOM 08.29.2008 www.nkotb.com

CNN AND NKOTB! PLEASE TUNE IN! CNN WILL AIR THEIR MAIN NKOTB FEATURE ON CNN HEADLINE NEWS! AIR DATES/TIMES: SUNDAY, AUGUST 31ST ON CNN CHANNEL 10 PLEASE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR AIR TIMES PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PIECE WILL ALSO HIT THE FOLLOWING PLATFORMS: FRIDAY, AUGUST 29: SHORTER VERSION GOES OUT TO CNN AFFILIATES ON THE POPLIFE FEED SATURDAY, AUGUST 30: LONGER VERSION POSTS TO CNN.COM SUNDAY, AUGUST 31: LONGER VERSION AIRS ON CNN HEADLINE NEWS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: LONGER VERSION AIRS ON CNN.COM LIVE SATURDAY-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-7: LONGER VERSION TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH AND AIRS ON CNN EN ESPANOL THE PIECE ALSO BECOMES AVAILABLE TO: CNN INTERNATIONAL, CNN RADIO, CNN AIRPORT

E! NEWS SPECIAL! NKOTB! THE E! NEWS SPECIAL: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK WILL PREMIERE ON SATURDAY AUG 30 @ 10:30AM, WITH CURRENTLY SCHEDULED RE-AIRINGS ON 8/31 @ 10AM, 9/1 @ 7:30PM, AND 9/2 @ 8:30 & 12:30PM. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR AIRINGS!

nkotbthing.com USA BOSTON GLOBE 08.29.2008 http://www.boston.com/ae

WAHLBERG: ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC After igniting a fan frenzy with the announcement of their longawaited reunion this spring, the New Kids on the Block are excited to finally have new music to talk about.

"The Block," out this coming Tuesday, is full of sex appeal, wistfulness, and plenty of designer beats as the group blends its youthful proclivity for harmony-laden odes to the ladies with considerably more mature songs that move from the beach to the dance floor to the bedroom.

We recently caught up with Donnie Wahlberg by phone from Los Angeles, where he was busy prepping for the band's upcoming tour.

Although harried, he was elated to talk music - he cowrote nine of the album's 13 tracks - and humbled by the fan reaction. - SARAH RODMAN

''We're doing everything: singing, dancing, explosions, video screens.

You name it, we're doing it,'' Donnie Wahlberg says of the New Kids on the Block's touring show. (Brendan

On being the leader of the band: "I don't want to say I'm the guy.

As much work as I put into the album, it all could be for naught if it's not all five of us. I'm smart enough to know that."

On teaming up with R&B star Ne-Yo for the new radio hit "Single": "There was just a certain song we all felt was missing from the album. It was something that could play in the clubs but was not braggadocio. It was something that was elegant and mature and yet very contemporary and had a little street swagger to it. [Interscope Records head] Jimmy [Iovine] . . . heard the song and identified it right away. I didn't know that Ne-Yo would be willing to share it with us, but he was really excited to do it."

On "2 in the Morning," a ballad about a disintegrating marriage: "It is the most personal song that I have ever written. I've never gone through a divorce before. That song really unleashed me.

Working on that song I was going through a really hard time and the words are so true. That was maybe the second song I wrote for the project, but I really dialed into something right there. I'd never used writing as therapy. I wrote some stuff on [Mark Wahlberg's] albums and on the last New Kids album that expressed anger and this and that, but not from a place of such

vulnerability. Once I tasted that and saw how therapeutic it could be, that's when I really started to go."

On the racy double entendres of "Full Service," a collaboration with friends and fellow Boston boy-banders New Edition: "Everyone got the spirit and they're known as guys who are humble and make love songs, but make love songs from a real sincere place and that's what we do. So that song, while it may sound a little dirty, is still about taking care of someone else's needs before your own."

On the recurring theme of maturity in songs like "Grown Man" and "Big Girl Now": "I have to tell you I don't even think it was subliminal; I don't think it was that deep. When I write a song, I don't really write it from a concept first. It usually comes very organically. I didn't sit down and say I want to write a song called 'Summertime,' but it will really be a metaphor for the fans. I just listen to the music and I just start humming melodies."

On what to expect from the tour: "We're doing everything: singing, dancing, explosions, video screens. You name it, we're doing it. Fans are flying in from all around the world to see these shows; we're not going to let them down."

nkotbthing.com CNN 08.30.2008 http://edition.cnn.com/video

NEW KIDS BACK ON THE BLOCK 2:20 New Kids on the Block are back with their first album in 15 years. Denise Quan has the story.

nkotbthing.com USA ET 08.30.2008 Yuotube.com

nkotbthing.com

nkotbthing.com CANADA MUSIC IN 08.31.2008 http://music.sympatico.msn.ca/artists

nkotbthing.com